Mens birth control trial#
Mens birth control free#

“There’s an element of empowerment about being able to be in control of my own contraceptive situation that I feel is beneficial. “I’d be happy to consider taking a male contraceptive pill,” says Lee Chambers, 36. “Having a male contraceptive with a similar efficacy to female contraceptives would be of great benefit to both men and women – not only in preventing unwanted pregnancies, but also in allowing men to take on the contraceptive burden.” “This is patronising and offensive.” It is also incorrect. “In a lot of discussions about it, there is often this sense that men somehow wouldn’t be trusted or able to use it correctly, and therefore it wouldn’t be effective in preventing unwanted pregnancies,” says O’Brien. “This is a large gap in the market and there is evidence to suggest that there is demand for this gap to be filled.”Īnother contributing factor is the misguided belief that a male contraceptive would be less reliable than a female one. “We feel that once the efficacy and safety have been confirmed for our gel, there will be significant commercial pharmaceutical interest,” she says. But, according to Fitzgerald, this is not necessarily the case. Pessimism has delayed the process, too, with many arguing that there is simply no market interest in male contraceptives. “There has been a lack of research interest into finding methods of contraception for men, the bottom line being that few have seen the benefit - financial or otherwise - in working to provide reliable contraceptives for them,” says Katherine O’Brien at the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS). It’s up to us to go through the rigmarole of testing out various forms of contraception, putting our bodies and minds through the ringer until we find something that doesn’t affect our skin, weight, mood, or libido. Indeed, condoms aside, we are generally conditioned to view contraception as a woman’s responsibility. “This is simply because pregnancy is a process affecting women’s bodies, and so health interventions in this area focus almost exclusively on women and not men.” “Historically, society has seen reproduction and contraception as a ‘female’ issue,” says Fitzgerald.

Hence why both the aforementioned contraceptives do not involve orally administered testosterone.īut the delay to finding a male contraceptive is as much a societal issue as it is a scientific one. However, it is harder to replace testosterone as a tablet due to the damaging effect this can have on the liver. In men, if the pituitary gland is suppressed, the testes will stop producing sperm and testosterone. And developing a male contraceptive has meant overcoming some equally high scientific hurdles. Naturally, it took some time to figure all of this out. The pill, however, contains oestrogen, and so works by replacing the oestrogen that the ovary isn’t producing. When ovarian function is suppressed, eggs aren’t released and the ovary doesn’t produce oestrogen, an important female hormone. The pill works by suppressing a gland in the brain, known as the pituitary gland, which drives ovarian function.

Mens birth control free#

Synonymous with women’s liberation and free love, the pill marked a major turning point in gender politics. It’s worth remembering that when the combined oral contraceptive pill was introduced for women in the 1960s, it represented a revolution for sexual health and society at large. One that highlights how women’s health – and specifically reproductive health – has been sidelined in the medical community and beyond for millennia.īut let’s deal with the science side of things first. Logistics aside, though, the delay speaks to a wider systemic issue. “And each time, I get disappointed.” The bottom line is that despite all of this progress, the journey towards an effective male contraceptive is far from over. “I’ve been excited about animal studies demonstrating promise for male contraceptives for a while now,” Dr Bobby Najari, assistant urology professor at NYU Langone Health, told The New York Times. Meanwhile, based on previous trials for products that have never come to fruition, there are those in the medical world who maintain a degree of scepticism about male contraceptives.

Even if everything goes to plan, the gel still wouldn’t be expected to make it to market for several years. However, just as with the pill in Minnesota, these things take time.

Mens birth control trial#

The next stage is due to start later this year, when the trial will be expanded and a larger number of couples will be invited to try the gel. Couples involved in the trial are being asked to use the gel as their only contraceptive method for 12 months. “Up until now, the product seems highly effective and is extremely well tolerated with few side effects,” says Dr Cheryl Fitzgerald, study lead and consultant gynaecologist at Saint Mary’s Hospital in Manchester.

Clear and easily absorbed, the gel simply needs to be rubbed into the user’s shoulders or chest area once a day.