After decades of relying on women to take birth control while men whine about wearing a simple condom, it’s time for us to take some responsibility.
We need to be more open to the idea of male birth control.
Women have endured different treatments to prevent pregnancies dating back to 1850 B.C., including inserting a honey and crocodile dung mixture into their vaginas, according to an Aug. 13, 2020 WebMD article.
However throughout history, the responsibility of contraception and birth control has almost always fallen on cisgender women.
Currently, the three most common birth control forms for females are: sterilization, the pill (which contains hormones that prevent pregnancies) and LARCs (long-acting reversible contraceptives).
About 40% of pregnancies in the United States are unplanned, according to a April 20, 2019 UT Southwestern Medical Center article. This is partly because society unfairly dictates that cis women are primarily responsible for pregnancy prevention and family planning.
In other words, it’s always the woman’s job to ensure she doesn’t get pregnant rather than put an equal role on the man when pregnancy happens. But as many of us know, men are dogs that have the critical thinking skills of a peanut.
The lack of sexual responsibility from cisgender men is outright unfair to women.
While men do have limited methods of contraception, a birth control option will make it easier for us to take control of our fertility, especially because the options we have now aren’t the most appealing.
Vasectomies, or male sterilization, are potentially permanent and a little scary to many men. Condoms or pulling out during sex aren’t always effective and there is abstinence, but let’s face it, the average guy probably doesn’t even know what that word means.
But more male birth control options could change that.
Fertile males constantly make new sperm cells triggered by high testosterone levels, according to a March 26, 2019 BBC News article. The main issue with creating male birth control is that it would temporarily block the creation of new sperm cells without lowering hormone levels, creating severe side effects.
However, researchers from The Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute and the University of Washington are testing a new male birth control model, according to an April 2, 2018 Healthline article.
The pill, called dimethandrolone undecanoate (DMAU), reduces male hormones to amounts that are low enough to suppress sperm production.
Researchers are actively working to limit as many side effects as possible so males can be more responsible in their sex lives.
Dr. Stephanie Page, professor of medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine and the study’s senior investigator, told Healthline in the article that “sexual functioning, libido, performance – our analysis of the reports we received showed no difference in sexual health between the men taking the pill and those on a placebo.”
Many men are opening up to the idea of taking the pill if it’s developed with low side effects.
Research shows many men would welcome a hormone-based male birth control pill with up to 83% saying they’d use it, according to a WebMD article reviewed on Aug. 13, 2020. But developing a safe, reliable and effective male birth control pill has been slow.
Not only that, it raises the issue of whether women would trust men to take the pill.
A 2011 survey from Anglia Ruskin University in the UK found 70 out of 134 women worry their male partner
would forget to consume the pill.
While commercial release of DMAU could take a decade or longer, it’s nice to see research pursuing new treatment options that promote shared accountability for contraception.
And when the time comes when we do get the pill for men, it’s up to us to finally grow a pair and take some responsibility.
If sex is on our minds, it’s only fair we work harder to ensure women don’t suffer from our lack of wanting to use a condom.
