Ever since high school sex-ed, I have developed this odd understanding that safe sex is primarily a woman’s responsibility. It’s strange, as I do not actually recall anyone in those lectures specifically insinuating that safety is a one-way street. In fact, the counselors I remember often repeated the memorable catchphrase, “It takes two to tango,” when referring to our presumably unisex responsibilities…cheesy but truthful.
The messaging that this so-called sexual tango was in fact a solo dance was more subtle, like when we reviewed the long list of available birth control methods, where only two of maybe 20 were unique to men: condoms and vasectomies. Even then, the dramatic and improbable sex-ed skits we sat through always framed the use of condoms as not solely a male responsibility, but rather as a collective decision that a couple makes together.
Ultimately, I left sex-ed wondering why the most effective and realistic forms of birth control were placed in the hands of women: get an IUD (oh fun), remember to take a daily contraceptive pill, or seek out and endure birth control hormone shots.
I totally get why a woman would be more motivated to prevent pregnancy versus a man, considering the total surrendering-of-your-body thing that happens. However, it seems like men also risk a lot with an unplanned pregnancy. Doesn’t it just seem way more effective for both people involved to use contraception? Both partners working towards a pregnancy-free existence seems obviously better than just one partner taking on the task, so I’ve never understood why a male pill wasn’t part of this one-sided picture.
Like me, select reproductive scientists over the years have also been dreaming the same male-pill dream. There is one big caveat: men, of course, don’t face the various physical challenges and risks that a woman does with an unintended pregnancy, so it makes sense that they would be less willing to endure a contraceptive pill’s side effects.
From my understanding, women will put up with more side effects because of what’s at stake; a male birth control pill better be virtually free of side effects, or many men just won’t take it. This high standard has made it much harder for any male contraceptive to move forward.
According to Science History, the first recorded attempt at making a male contraceptive pill was during the 1950s. An accidental discovery was made of the drug called WIN-18446. Scientists found that this drug inhibited sperm production, with no apparent effect on libido, and infertility could be successfully reversed when subjects stopped taking the pill. But this groundbreaking discovery was too good to be true; the drug was found to react poorly with alcohol, causing vomiting and shortness of breath. At the time, these unfortunate side effects were enough to abandon aggressive drug development because the prevailing research funding bros figured, without alcohol, what’s the point, right? A bitter pill for half the population to swallow.
Since then, reproductive scientists have joked that a male contraceptive pill has been five years away for the past 60 years. But some still dream, and as of 2023, scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine have been working on developing a better male contraceptive pill. Their first attempt was to achieve something called sAC inhibition, because this process prevents fertility in mice. However, the sAC inhibitors also had side effects that caused instability and unusual movement in the test mice. This ultimately put the kibosh on the unveiling of their pill to the world, although some researchers are still working towards making sAC inhibitors safe for human consumption.
Despite the shortcomings, scientists at WCM have made good use of the information about sAC inhibitors. These promising medications kick in at unmatched speeds and have one of the quickest reverse times out of all other forms of male contraception that have been attempted. The drug was shown to take 30 minutes to take effect and a few hours to wear off, in contrast to other proposed male contraceptives being developed that take several weeks to start working and to wear off.
So, what’s the male pill status now? At UC Davis, scientists are making great strides with an effective hormonal gel that men can easily apply daily to their shoulders. Some test subjects have reported some libido changes, oily skin, and mood swings…welcome to the club.
Also promising, the Biotech company, YourChoice Therapeutics, and Columbia University have been working together to develop a drug called YCT-529, which passed its first round of clinical testing on human beings a little over a year ago and was still progressing through a second clinical trial as of March 2025, possibly on its way to complete human trials. Researcher Nadja Mannowetz is the co-founder of YourChoice Therapeutics and strongly believes YCT-529 has the potential to cut global unintended pregnancy rates in half.
Additionally, Mitchell Creinin of UC Davis Health spoke about the future potential of these male contraceptives, predicting that:
So, let’s all hope one of these methods makes its way into our local CVS and that future high school sex-ed attendees are presented with a more equitable list of options.
Here’s to a more equitable future!
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