Contraceptive pills as we know were invented in the 60’s. At the time, it was considered revolutionary and probably the beginning of the sexual revolution, movement in which people challenged the society standards and had no chains when the subject was sex. However, almost 60 years later, the pill still has its controversies.
Nowadays, many women are searching for other methods to avoid STDs and pregnancy, since there are cases of thrombosis, nausea, weight gain, heart attacks, swelling, high blood pressure and many other collateral effects related to the use of contraceptive pills that many people have no idea. Nonetheless, no one should quit or start any medication without consulting a doctor.
Since the 70’s, women debate about the security of using the hormone remedy due to its risks and collateral effects, questioning why the responsibility of pregnancy always falls into female’s lap, instead of being a two-part responsibility. However, where is the discussion of the male contraceptive pill? Few people know about hormonal contraceptive for men, but that is thing and it is being developed.
Since the 50’s, scientist tries to create a method as effective as the contraceptive pill for women applied to men, however it’s a delicate subject since not only the pharmaceutical industries, but also our society, behave in patriarchal standards. Moreover, women produce only one ovary per month during the first time they have their period until menopause, in controversy men produce sperm every day for their entire lives.
Between 2008 and 2012, experts tried to develop a vaccine that should be applied every two months combining the hormones progesterone and testosterone to prevent pregnancy and be as trustworthy as condoms. On the other hand, the trail stage had to be halted due to side-effects, similar to the ones some women who use the contraceptive pill use every day – such as mood changes, depression and acne.
Nowadays, a new proceeding will enter on trial phase in April 2018 and it’s a gel, called Vasagel, that male should rub on the shoulders once a day every day to stop sperm production in about two or three months, continuously releasing the same hormones used in the vaccine. The research will display the product for more than 400 couples over the world that will be supervised for a trial period that should last about a year.
The latest study pointed the method as 100% reliable and the contraindications are still uncertain, however there is a positive vibe about it. Will the contraceptive hormonal method be a big step into gender equality and pregnancy responsibility distribution? Only time will tell.