Huntington News

Issue date: 6/18/08 Section: Sex

Media Credit: Derek Yu Male birth control pills may soon be used in addition to other forms of contraception.

Men may never understand the experience of womanhood, but they may soon understand what it's like to be 'on the pill.' 

Since the 1950s, when scientist Gregory Pinkus collaborated with activists Margaret Sanger and Katharine McCormick to create the birth control pill, women have had the option of regulating their ovulation cycles, according to PBS.org. But because this reproductive cycle isn't part of male physiology, the idea of men taking a pill seemed abstract - until recently.  

Experiments conducted during the past decade show a pill or an implant could regulate male sperm production and allow men to actively prevent pregnancy, said Christina Wang, an M.D. at Harbor UCLA Medical Center, one of the doctors heading these experiments. 

"We don't effectively have a pill at the moment," Wang said, "but there has been a lot of progress recently." 

Research done by Wang's team has shown the combination of hormones progestin and androgen can increase the extent and rate of sperm suppression during intercourse, she said. 

But even if the male form of birth control were to become available within the next few years, students seem skeptical on the subject. 

"I wouldn't want to be the first male to be on it," said Russ Levine, a sophomore psychology major. "The pill always seemed to be more of a female thing. The social ramifications seem extreme."  

Alex Sweeney, a sophomore biology major, said the male birth control pill could be good, but only in addition to other contraceptives.

"If I was with a guy for a while … then I would consider using the male birth control pill without condoms," she said. "But if … a random stranger said he was on the pill, I'd be like, '[forget] that.'"

 But Sweeney said the pill would have to prove itself to be a reliable alternative before it would become popular among college students. 

"The idea is awesome," Sweeney said. "I like the idea of men being more involved in prevention." 

Implementing this product would mean a change of the norm, said Dr. Howard Heller, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who has been teaching students about safe sex in his class since 1997.  

Heller said women have always played a more active role in ensuring safe sex for practical reasons, like avoiding unwanted pregnancies. She said women generally consider the consequences of acquiring a sexually transmitted disease more often than men because women often suffer more prominent effects. 

For example, if a man gets the human papilloma virus, he will most likely get warts, while a woman runs the risk of getting cervical cancer, Heller said.

Consequences for other diseases, like chlamydia, remain worse for women as well, he said.  

"I don't think there's a reason to believe men will take more responsibility in practicing safe sex if there is a male contraceptive [pill]," Heller said. "There will be some situations where men will take a greater interest, but I don't think men will be lining up to get it."

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