Background: I’ve long believed that a male birth control pill would be a great thing for men, and that women might not be as happy about it as they may claim. In my column Do Women Really Want a Male Birth Control Pill? (Newsday, 4/11/05), I wrote:
“Women have long lamented the unequal burden they shoulder in the area of contraception. Today researchers are reportedly moving closer to perfecting a male contraceptive that is free of side effects, easy to take, and reversible. But do women really want a male birth control pill?
“Power is the reward which comes with responsibility. For example, during the Cold War Americans complained about the money and manpower spent protecting a reputedly ungrateful world from communism. Yet these sacrifices also helped give the United States great geopolitical power, with its attendant perks and privileges.
“Similarly, while women legitimately complain that biology has condemned them to bear the burden of contraception, this burden also gives women control over one of the most important parts of any human being”s life–reproduction. The male birth control pill will shift much of that control from women to men. Is the following conversation far away?
“Woman #1: ‘My [husband, boyfriend, significant other] is selfish. He’s on the pill and won”t get off. I”ve asked him to stop taking it but he always says he”s not ready. He just won”t grow up. I don”t know what to do.’
“Woman #2: ‘That”s what the pill has given men–a right to be perpetual adolescents. It”s given them veto power over women who want to have children’…
“While most women are responsible and want to have children with a willing, committed partner, studies show that lack of reproductive control can be a major problem for men today. For example, the National Scruples and Lies Survey 2004 polled 5,000 women in the United Kingdom for That”s Life! magazine. According to that survey, 42% of women claim they would lie about contraception in order to get pregnant, regardless of the wishes of their partners…
“The advent of the female birth control pill greatly aided women”s struggle for autonomy and fulfillment. The male birth control pill will also create great changes, but these changes will not be to some women”s liking. Be careful what you ask for–you might get it.”
From Sara Feldkamp’s Male Birth Control Pill and Digestive Health Top List of New Medical Discoveries, AAPS Annual Meeting and Exposition Kicks-Off in San Diego:
“New research presented at the 2007 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists Annual Meeting and Exposition indicates that a new oral option for men to prevent pregnancy may be possible. The study shows the efficacy and side-effects of an oral contraceptive for males, which is similar to birth control pills currently available for women.
“To date, effective male contraception has been restricted to physical methods, namely condoms and vasectomy. However, the research conducted by scientists at GTx, Inc., the Ohio State University, and the University of Tennessee provides the first male oral contraceptive that has been found effective in preventing pregnancy.
“Additionally, the option is reversible: after the medication is stopped, fertility is fully restored.
“For 13 years, these researchers have been examining the reversibility of a compound that inhibits infertility by utilizing a non-steroidal hormonal therapy known as a selective androgen receptor modulator.
“‘Past clinical studies using testosterone for male contraception were not effective at preventing pregnancy without producing significant negative side- effects,’ said James Dalton, Ph.D., AAPS Fellow and lead researcher at GTx, Inc. and the Ohio State University.
“‘Our recent study was doubly successful because it completely and reversibly inhibited fertility without unwanted side-effects.’
“In fact, the study proved that this male pill had positive effects on muscle and bone. Clinical trials are expected to begin in one to two years.”