A reliable and reversible male contraceptive has eluded researchers for the past several decades, but recent discoveries hold promise for a male birth-control pill to appear on the market in the next few years. Unfortunately, the male birth-control pill still faces plenty of biological and psychological challenges.
The invention of the female birth-control pill in the 1960s sparked a wave of social change as women took control of their reproductive rights for the first time. A male oral contraceptive would not have as drastic an impact on social norms, but would still provide men with more control over family planning.
The rise of a male contraceptive would also raise questions regarding which member of a couple should be responsible for birth control. Women are often expected to be on birth control while prudent men provide extra security with a condom, but a male pill could shift this paradigm. If a male birth-control pill has either the same or less severe side effects than its female counterpart, men should be under as much of a moral obligation to utilize it as women, but I am afraid this theory will not see widespread practice.
While male birth-control pills have been held up in development due to the scientific challenges of stopping 300 million sperm compared to a single egg, social challenges exist as well. Many pharmaceutical companies are not convinced male birth control would be profitable.
According to a 2004 survey by the Center for Epidemiology & Health Research in Berlin, attitudes toward male birth control vary greatly by region. Spanish men were most receptive to male birth control with 71 percent approval, while Indonesian men were least receptive with only 28 percent approving of male birth control. American men fell between these two extremes with 49 percent willing to use new male birth control.
Unfortunately for scientists developing male birth control, when these men were asked to rank condoms against a daily pill, monthly injection or an annual implant, condoms came out on top in all nine countries surveyed. The survey did not ask respondents if they preferred condoms solely for birth control or if they were also using them to prevent sexually transmitted infections, but in general male birth-control pills have a long way to go before they become as ubiquitous as condoms or their female counterparts.
A lack of funding has also stalled many efforts to formulate effective reversible male birth control and has caused the male pill to be “five years away” for at least two decades. Male birth control may finally be getting the push it needs from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which is sponsoring a conference in October showcasing the latest male fertility research.
The most established technique uses hormones to halt sperm production in much the same way the pill uses hormones to stop a woman’s body from releasing eggs. Other methods prevent sperm from developing properly through several drug options or even ultrasound treatment.
Questions about the potential side effects of these treatments abound, especially hormone treatments, which modify levels of testosterone and progestin to halt sperm production. A substantial portion of men would likely never consider such a treatment if there was even the slightest possibility it could be irreversible, but would at the same time expect their female partners to risk potentially dangerous side effects to prevent pregnancy.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, 49 percent of pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned. Hopefully a male pill can help cut this rate while allowing couples to share birth control risks.
 
Andrew Shockey is a 21 year-old biological engineering junior from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_Ashockey.
 
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Contact Andrew Shockey at [email protected]