Home – Women’s eNewsThe Male Pill: A Game Changer​Women’s eNews

It reflects an important shift in the assumption that contraception is primarily the responsibility of women.  

In the two years since the Roe decision was overturned, a great deal of ink has been spilled discussing new restrictions to abortion and other means of curtailing women’s reproductive choices. But now is the time to start looking at men and their role in birth control. Right now, the only birth control options for men are condoms, which according to the Guttmacher Institute, have a high failure rate of 13% and vasectomy, a surgical procedure that is typically permanent and reversals aren’t always possible.

“Male birth control aims to temporarily reduce or halt the production of sperm, thereby preventing fertilization [of an egg] during sexual intercourse,” says Justin Houman, M.D., a board-certified urologist (men’s health specialist and Forbes Health Advisory Board member ) based in Los Angeles.” In the not too distant future, several new male contraceptives may be on the market. Two are now in the final stages of development–a male birth control pill and a male gel. Both recognize that it takes two to tango–men as well as women have their part to play. 

Male Birth Control Pills

This could soon be part of men’s daily routine. The new pill (YCT29) which is to be taken daily is on the horizon, promising a game-changing shift in reproductive health. UK researchers are engaged in the “first clinical trial of this non-hormonal” male pill, which gives men the ability to prevent unintended pregnancies.” It reflects an important shift in the assumption that contraception is primarily the responsibility of women. 

In pre-clinical trials, the researchers report “high effectiveness with claims of 99% efficacy and complete reversibility. Moreover, research indicates no noticeable side effects.” Ironically, the growing restrictions on women’s access to birth control has fueled research on male contraceptives.

 Gunda Georg, a professor at the University of Minnesota’s College of Pharmacy and developer of the male contraceptive pill. noted that it aims to address the side effects women have faced from hormonal contraception over many years.” Dr. Blithe (chief of the Contraceptive Development Program at the National Institutes of Health), says that in clinical trials “the researchers are not seeing the kind of mood swings and depression that women can experience with birth control pills.”

GEL

Also on the horizon is a hormonal gel that has long-lasting and reversible birth control effects for men. Men rub it on their shoulders once daily; over time, it blocks the production of sperm in the testes. Data on the gel were presented in June in Boston at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society by Dr. Diana Blithe, chief of the Contraceptive Development Program at the National Institutes of Health. She shared some comments from men who described it as “easy’ and ‘something I’ve always wanted,’ adding that her favorite comment was, ‘Can I re-enroll in the study?’ The fact that men want to continue is ‘an endorsement for the product that’s stronger than anything I could convey,” she said.  “Researchers have been formulating and refining the dose and concentration of the gel since 2005. In this latest test, which included more than 300 couples, they think they got it right.” “The combination seems to provide better, faster suppression than we expected,” said Blithe. 

The gel also seems to have other advantages over female birth control. For example, if a woman misses a day or two of the pill, she can ovulate, making it more likely that she’ll have an unintended pregnancy. With the gel, if a man’s sperm production is fully suppressed and he misses a day or two of usage, his hormones would start to recover, but it takes about 8 to 10 weeks for a man’s sperm count to recover to levels that would cause a pregnancy.” Moreover, according to Blithe, the researchers are not seeing the kind of mood swings and depression that women can experience with birth control pills.”

Matthew Treviño, 35, of Sacramento, California, participated in the study. Rubbing a little gel on each shoulder first thing in the morning has become as routine as showering and brushing his teeth. And, if anything, his sex drive has increased. “I’ve only experienced increased libido,” he told the ‘Unfold’ podcast, which is produced by the University of California at Davis. Maybe I’m just lucking out, but I hope this is the case for the majority of participants. If it is, it’s definitely going to change contraception as a whole.”

In order for Emily Fletcher, 28, Treviño’s partner, to participate in the research, she had to give up her own birth control – an IUD – and take a big leap of faith right around the time the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade… “ I was worried…There was still a thought in the back of my mind that maybe this will be an issue if the drug doesn’t work, and I get pregnant.” Treviño said it didn’t feel fair that his partner had to shoulder the burden of birth control. “Maybe the burden is on the wrong side,” he said. “I kind of think it’s unfair that it only lands on the women.” After the recovery phase of the trial, many of the participants went on to become fathers, proving that the method is fully reversible, Blithe said. If future trials prove its safety and efficacy, “we may soon have a viable, non-permanent contraceptive option for men, adding to the existing choices and sharing the responsibility of contraception more equitably between genders.”

If the FDA approves, the new drug will enter several phases of clinical trials and post-marketing approval.

Prior to the Dobbs decision, researchers found “substantial interest by men in the United States for new methods of male birth control. They “expected an uptick in the follow-on research, but the significant level of the increase was both unanticipated and encouraging,” said Steve Kretschmer, Executive Director of DesireLine, one of the organizations co-funding the re-field and conducting the research. “Clearly the restrictions that the Supreme Court’s decision enacted has inspired men to want to take on a more active role in family planning,” Kretschmer added. “Post-Dobbs, the percentage of U.S. men willing to use a new contraceptive method within the first 12 months of its approval and market introduction jumped by 26%, from 39% of sexually active men ages 18-60 years, to nearly half (49%).”

Studies suggest that about half of all pregnancies worldwide are unintended. Most modern contraceptive methods are for women. Women also tend to bear most of the responsibility and cost of birth control, and female methods tend to be more expensive than those for men. But if you don’t wear condoms the right way every time you have sex, your chances for an accidental pregnancy can be surprisingly high. Some estimates put it at nearly 1 in 5.

“The Pill turns 65 next year, marking more than a half-century of hormonal birth control with no new options for men to reduce the hormonal burden on their partners,” said Stewart McCallum, MD FACS, chief medical Officer for YourChoice Therapeutics, Inc. “This lack of modernization would be unacceptable in any area of healthcare.”   

“Women’s narrowing reproductive rights offer potent fuel to the fire driving male contraceptive candidates,” said  Minnesota’s Gunda Georg…”Numerous published studies and surveys show that the world wants and needs more male contraceptive options. We also can’t deny that women are tired of bearing the burden of hormones. I’m very pleased by the speed and efficiency of YCT-529’s first-in-human study and feel confident that future studies will demonstrate similar success. Society is ready for a male contraceptive.” 

These developments give new meaning to the phrase family planning.

About the Authors: Caryl Rivers and Rosalind C Barnett are winners of the Casey Medal for Excellence in Journalism and a Goldsmith Grant from Harvard University. Rivers is a professor of journalism at Boston University and Dr. Barnett is a senior scholar at Wellesley College. They are co-authors of “The New Soft War on Women: How the Myth of Female Ascendance is Hurting Women, Men — and Our Economy.” (Tarcher/Penguin)