I am a hard-core feminist, as anyone who has ever had a class with me could probably tell you.
More accurately, however, I am a big fan of gender equality.
That is why I was very excited when I heard rumors about the possibility of the “male pill.” To be quite honest, I think this development is about 50 years too late.
Since 1990, several scientists have been working on furthering options for men interested in having more responsibility when it comes to family planning.
This, I think, is a very important topic that rarely gets much light. Often, pro-choice advocates speak of the “woman’s choice” or “her” right to choose what happens to her own body.
However, in the case that she chooses to have the baby, where are the men’s rights? Essentially they are lost to child support payments.
In 1998, this topic became more widespread when Peter Wallis attempted to sue his ex-girlfriend for having a baby he claimed was conceived under false pretenses (she apparently stopped taking contraception without telling him), forcing him into the role of fatherhood that he neither wanted nor agreed to.
Other cases of this nature have gained attention since then, leading to many interesting legal questions as to what responsibility a man should really have.
This is what is so great about the male pill.
It puts the responsibility in the hands of the man as well as the woman.
If this product were available and affordable it would certainly help to further decrease the number of unwanted pregnancies.
It would also help avoid the kinds of issues that Peter Wallis’ case introduced.
According to preliminary tests, the side effects are similar to those effects on women including acne, some influx in weight as well as a lowered sex drive (which I am sorry to say, is never a bad thing).
However, after three months off the pill, 70% of men tested had regained normal levels of fertility.
All test subjects displayed normal level sperm counts after two years, though most displayed them after six months.
The results are also comparable to those of female birth control, displaying 97 percent to 99.9 percent effectiveness.
Another great thing is tests are in the works to give men as many options as women already have, including different dosages of hormones and the patch as opposed to the pill.
So why isn’t this on the market?
Apparently for the past five years pharmaceutical companies have been trying to “feel out” the market to see if there is enough interest in the concept to warrant a more widespread, conclusive study.
There are a few concerns, however, one of them being increased mood swings, which women are already well acquainted with.
Apparently high instances of “male PMS” were recorded in some of the original studies, resulting in rather violent hormonal outbursts due to the heightened levels of progestin (which decreases fertility) and testosterone (which stops fatigue and raises the libido to higher levels after being suppressed by the progestin).
If this drug were made available, the chemical balance would have to be much more specific to each man in order to protect them from random hormonal outbursts.
However, if the product is accepted and better tested, then men may soon have another way to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies, rather than having to depend on their partners.