When a child comes into the world, this is usually accompanied by an overwhelming sense of joy and excitement; however, there are situations where a potential child could be a burden, thus calling for reproductive control. Having control over your own reproductive abilities and sexual health is an important right that each man and woman should be able to contribute and take responsibility for. As long as contraception has been available, studies and advancements in reproductive technology have been focused more towards women than men. Compared to the large range of options that women have available to them, men have next to nothing. New advancements in reproductive technology are working to change that with the development of a hormonal male birth control. This new male form of contraception would be very beneficial to society on a global scale through decreasing unwanted pregnancies, which would allow men to take newfound control of their sexual health, help developing countries control expanding population growth, and let men and women equally share reproductive control.

When it comes to the options men are given to use as forms of birth control, they are far and few. The two basic forms are condoms, which are the most popular, and vasectomies, the latter being a more permanent solution. There is also the third, and less popular, option to remain abstinent. The use of condoms is also known as a barrier method. The first recorded description of a condom came about in the 16th century. Paul Kogan, MD, gives a brief description in the history of condoms and their development over time; “They have evolved from animal intestines to latex and polyurethane-based products.” (Kogan, 1) If medical technology has been able to progress this far then doctors and scientists have the potential to push even further. Condoms, compared to other contraceptive methods, come along with a range of benefits. They are low cost, easy to use, have little to no side effects while also reducing the likelihood of someone transmitting an STD. They also have a very high success rate, only having a 2% discrepancy. This is a useful product that has taken over the market, but there are some downsides. There is the possibly for the latex to tear or rupture during coitus, while a perceived reduction of pleasure had led to largescale non-use. Because of their high success rate and low risk of side effects, this will most likely continue to be the recommended method for men who are not looking to have children. 

The vasectomy is a near permanent solution that requires a minor procedure. Kogan explains, “The first human vasectomy was performed by R. Harrison, a doctor in London. During World War II vasectomies were regarded as a method of birth control.” (2) Even though this method is more modern than the condom, it has allowed doctors to study the male anatomy and make further discoveries about the best ways to successfully control a man’s fertility. When performing a modern-day vasectomy, a doctor severs the vas deferens to keep the sperm from mixing with the seminal fluid. The sperm is then absorbed by the body instead of being ejaculated out of the body. Vasectomies are usually considered a more permanent method of birth control than condoms, but they can be reversed if needed. This would require a second procedure to reconnect the vas deferens to allow sperm to, once again, mix with seminal fluid. Similar to condoms, vasectomies are relatively low cost, as they have an average cost of $1000, which includes a follow-up appointment. While these options are abundant in modern markets and effective in their purpose, there is still a lack of choice compared to women.

Men should have more than choice A or choice B for their sexual and reproductive health. This would also help take some of the pressure off women to feel more responsible for providing or taking some form of contraception.  Vivek Mathew once said, 

…[T]here are multiple religious, educational, economic and cultural barriers standing in the way of male contraception. When the clinical trials done on contraception are examined, it is seen that the bulk of them have concentrated on female contraceptive methods. (Vivek, 910-911) 

Everyone has the right to have their own beliefs towards birth control, whether that be for religious or cultural reasons. But for those that do believe in the use of birth control in order to practice safe sex, the responsibility should be shared equally. It takes two people to create a life, and thus responsibility should not be placed on only one party: the woman.

The Palo Alto Medical Foundation has been conducting research on different methods of male birth control. This information is readily available on their website and includes a description, frequently asked questions and a brief plan. You can read as they explain the current methods that are available, as I have above, while going a step further to discuss the new scientific developments and possibilities in contraception. Leigha Winters states, “This means that the male birth control pill will be a systemic method of contraception – affecting many body systems. Researchers have conducted studies on two types of systemic birth control for men: hormonal male contraception and immunocontraception.” (Winters) The hormonal male contraception would use hormones to stop sperm production, but this could be reversed when the contraception is no longer used. The immunocontraception would use the body’s immune system response to help prevent pregnancy. This development would change the outlook of male reproduction. The focus of the male birth control pill is summed up into three approaches: keeping the male from producing sperm, keeping the sperm from swimming, and preventing the sperm from fertilizing the egg. To see a timeline of how far medical science has come from no one having any form of birth control to the possibility of solving your problems with a pill is a bit humbling. This development would allow for a more secure state of mind when it comes to a man’s ability to procreate by adding an extra, more reliable form of contraception. As long as the man is responsible enough to regularly take his birth control he wouldn’t need any other form of contraception. Therefore, there wouldn’t be any worry that a condom would break, or that the women isn’t on birth control. The ability/possibility of having a child could be completely in the man’s hands. Medical technology is evolving each day and you never know what they are going to come up with next.

A study published in 2016 involved about 320 male participants between the ages of 18 and 45 years of age, with 18 to 38-year-old female partners, with all participants lacking fertility problems. This study was designed to test an injectable male contraception every eight weeks, which led to a near complete and reversible suppression of sperm production. The most common adverse effects were acne, injection site pain, increased libido, and mood disorders (many of which women experience while on birth control). Unfortunately, the study was cut short, and if you ask any major tabloid that heard about this, their reasoning as to why the study was halted was because the men were just plain “wimps”. Julia Belluz of Vox says otherwise, “The study was halted, but it wasn't because the men who participated in it were wimpy. It was halted because one of the two independent committees that were monitoring the trial's safety data was concerned about the high number of adverse events the men reported.” (Belluz, 1) The rate of these adverse effects, were apparently higher than what women typically experience while using hormonal birth control. The 320 participants reported a massive 1,491 adverse effects and it was determined that 900 of those effects were caused by the injectable contraceptive. The need for people to vent about the lack of male contraception, and the adverse effects experienced by women who use it, is very understandable and justified. But we shouldn’t be blaming the men in this study for that inequality. In fact, 75% of the men wanted to continue to use the shot. They just followed the trial and reported their results. The independent funders are who decided to pull the plug on the operation. For now, it should be enough that there is being work done to develop and test a hormonal male birth control. It means that someone is trying, but it wouldn’t be ethical or safe to put something out into the market that wasn’t fully tested and ready to be out into the human body. This is going to require patience and understanding from our end as the consumers; people would be more upset getting a product that didn’t work than waiting longer for one that does.

A concern that has risen is the world’s population distribution, something that male birth control could regulate. The world’s populace has risen to an alarming level and it isn’t evenly distributed, leaving some nations struggling with population density, namely countries such as India and China. Vivek Mathew explains this when he says, “A second paradox is the uneven population growth. While some nations are experiencing a population explosion, others show a negative growth. The future population growth rate is highly dependent on the fertility rate.” (Mathew, 1) The development of a male birth control could aid those countries that are overpopulated. The contraceptive could be used as a form of population control by allowing families to be smaller and countries to be less densely occupied over time. This in turn, would solve the issue of the uneven population growth by helping balance global population growth. 

To bring this to a more relatable level, Cosmopolitan, a notorious magazine that covers topics such as sex, relationships, fashion, etc., recently did a story that discusses the rise of condomless male birth control. The article discussed a new study on the effectiveness of Vasalgel, a reversible birth control injection for men. They go onto explain the concept of Vasalgel, how it works and the successful outcome that the trails had. The author shares her views when she declares, “…when it looks like men will finally have a birth control option that's safe, long-lasting, reversible, and doesn't involve surgery. Sounds like a dream.” (Smothers) Obviously, Ms. Smothers has an opinionated stance on the development of this medical marvel but even the fact that Cosmo picked up that story, I believe, says a lot. This is a hot button issue right now, and for these self-proclaimed “sexperts” to give this idea a boost is huge. Cosmopolitan has 64 international editions worldwide and is published in 35 languages, while distributing to over 100 countries. To say that they have a large audience is an understatement.  People around the world will read this article and listen to what the authors have to say while being informed about something that could be available through their doctors in the near future. The product will be in high demand before it even hits the market.

 With all this scientific data and articles coming from well-respected sources, this product sounds like an amazing idea. But the important question to consider is, would it be used? Would a man be willing to take this hormonal contraception while risking the possible side effects? Kyle Munkittrick, of Discover Magazine, seems to think so. He commends the creation and use of the female pill, while further expressing jealousy that he doesn’t have this option for his own use. Kyle states, “If the two do have sex without any protection, the girl is forced to deal with the consequences, be it Plan B, abortion, or pregnancy. A male pill would dramatically alter some consciousness’s.” (Munkittrick) Not only would this bring the notion of safe sex to the forefront of the male mind, but it would overall decrease the need for Plan B and abortions when an unwanted pregnancy occurs. Psychologically speaking when a man, usually in high school, has a condom in his wallet he is perceived as “cool”. It shows the immediate audience that that man needs that condom and probably has sex on a regular basis. Now imagine the symbolic power that would come from taking the pill. The author theorizes, “A condom in the wallet says “I might get lucky tonight.” The pill says, “I have sex all the damn time.”” (Munkittrick) This maybe more difficult to show considering the pill doesn’t have the prop characteristics of a condom, but those who that want the status symbol from a condom probably would brag about being on the pill. If the people around them can see how “cool” they are, the person in question will most likely want to tell them. This would also be a major combat to any emasculation that could come along with a man’s choice to take the new development in medical technology. This form of contraception has been used by women for decades, which has caused a stigma to come along with it. To be able to use a tiny pill as a status symbol would allow consumers to be more open-minded and willing to give it a try. 

There are groups in the world, however, that feel that birth control of any sort is an abomination. These opinions, in my research, generally have come from fervently religious cultures. An article on BBC proclaims, “The use of contraception is morally wrong. Contraception is unnatural. Contraception is anti-life. Contraception is a form of abortion. Contraception separates sex from reproduction.” (BBC) These may sound extreme but some of what they are saying is warranted. The use of birth control does have the potential to increase health risk for STDs. As far as sexual health research is concerned, only barrier methods, such as. condoms, diaphragms, or female condoms, protect against the transmission of STDs. If two people, who do not use a barrier method of protection, have sex not knowing each other’s medical history, there is the possibility for the spreading of a sexually transmitted disease. Birth control is “unnatural”, but that doesn’t necessarily make it bad. It allows people to form families when they’re ready, and have some control over their bodies. These individuals have every right to have their own opinions and choose their own forms of medical care, but they shouldn’t condemn those who choose a different path. Everyone has something that works best for them whether that may be abstinence or a condom, but no choice in itself is wrong. 

Other groups have taken a more comedic approach to this hot topic. Saturday Night Live, a well-known late night comedy show, did a segment in their weekend update about the possible development of male birth control. The male actor explains, “Men are not going to take birth control because pregnancy just doesn’t affect our bodies. When a woman gets pregnant she has to decide whether or not she wants a human being to grow inside of her. Meanwhile, I get nine months whether to decide to buy a stroller or a bus ticket.” (SNL) Keeping in mind that this is a comedy show and the actors are looking for laughs, this can come off as a bit crude. But what Colin Jost is saying isn’t wrong. Men aren’t affected the same way women are by pregnancy. This source isn’t scholarly, you could even call it biased, but the fact that they’re addressing this topic at all allows to word to be spread. If men did make the choice to take the initiative and support this creation, the chances of an unwanted pregnancy, or even a scare, would lessen even further. 

Birth control has always been a controversial topic when it comes to what is best for a woman’s body and practicing safe sex. The development of a male hormonal contraception would not only make men more responsible for their actions but also help level the field of gender inequality. With only two options of contraception available to men right now, condoms and vasectomies, the medical world has a hard time making either of them sound appealing. You either run the risk of being uncomfortable or having to make a more permanent solution in terms of your reproductive abilities. A male pill would be easy because it would take the stress away of feeling unprepared in the moment and would allow for a heightened sense of security that you are protected. Doctors are working hard to try and put this product on the market, and, from the research that I have done, this medical marvel would be a huge success. Men will want to have this option and this will further allow some pressure to be taken off women’s shoulders. There will be groups that don’t agree, but that is their choice to make. Overall, this advancement in medical technology would be an asset to the future of population, sexual health, and piece of mind. 
