The Male Contraceptive Pill: A New Era in Reproductive Responsibility
The male contraceptive pill is getting closer to becoming a reality, with the potential to be available in the next few years. This development could mark a significant shift in how reproductive responsibility is shared between men and women.
The drug, known as YCT-529, has undergone trials that suggest it is safe for human use, with no reported side effects. This is a positive step forward, especially considering the long-standing expectation that women bear the majority of the burden when it comes to contraception. For many years, women have been the ones taking pills, using implants, or undergoing procedures like IUDs, often dealing with hormonal side effects such as weight gain, mood swings, and decreased libido.
While this new pill offers an exciting alternative, the online discourse surrounding it has been mixed. Some people are skeptical about whether men can be trusted to take the pill consistently. This skepticism isn’t new. It has resurfaced repeatedly over the years, with some women expressing doubts about their partners’ ability to remember to take a daily pill.
In 2019, journalist Joely Chilcott wrote about her inability to trust her fiancé to manage even simple tasks like taking out the bins, let alone taking a pill every day to prevent pregnancy. Similarly, in 2024, Helen Coffey expressed concerns that women “just can’t trust men” to take the pill. More recently, Amol Rajan questioned on Radio 4 whether some men might struggle with taking a pill daily for a sustained period.
These concerns raise uncomfortable questions: Are men really that unreliable? And why do so many women believe this? A 2022 survey by the American Chemistry Society found that while 49% of men would be willing to take a daily contraceptive pill, 42% of women worried that men would forget to take it.
This skepticism seems misplaced, given that men take medication regularly. For example, I have taken Sertraline for depression for over a decade, and it’s part of my daily routine. I also use a preventative inhaler for asthma and GLP-1 injections for weight loss. These medications are taken regularly, and my GP trusts me to manage them without issue.
Gay and bisexual men, including myself, have been taking PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) for years to prevent HIV. Over 100,000 people in England are currently on PrEP, mostly men who have sex with men. They take it religiously because their lives depend on it. HIV-positive men take antiretroviral therapy daily, often multiple pills, to manage their condition. Trans men take testosterone regularly.
So why wouldn’t a partner trust me to take the pill? The idea that men can’t handle daily medication is clearly nonsense. In fact, studies show that around 50% of women miss the pill at least once a month due to forgetfulness. This suggests that the concern about male reliability may be more about projection than reality.
The deeper issue lies in the historical and societal context of reproductive control. Women have long borne the physical and emotional burden of preventing pregnancy. They’ve endured hormonal side effects and were often told these were acceptable trade-offs. Pregnancy occurs in women’s bodies, not men’s, which makes sense why they might be hesitant to hand over control, even to trustworthy partners.
There is also a history of reproductive coercion, where men have deceived women about using contraceptives. A 2017 study from Bournemouth University found that as many as one in four women reported being coerced in their reproductive decisions.
Even if women can bring themselves to trust their partners, there are deep-seated attitudes on the male side that could cause issues. Some men may worry about appearing ‘less masculine’ or ‘weak,’ or fear the pill might affect their libido. These outdated ideas about masculinity could prove more problematic than any trust issues.
Both genders need to work on these issues. The current setup is unbalanced: women have access to a wide range of contraceptive options, often with side effects, while men have only condoms and vasectomies. This lopsided situation forces women to shoulder the burden and costs of preventing pregnancy.
It’s time to even the score. If we can trust men to take life-saving medications for conditions like depression, HIV, diabetes, and others, we can certainly trust them with contraception. The question isn’t whether men are capable—it’s whether we’re ready to move past the tired assumptions that keep reproductive responsibility so unfairly one-sided.
Would you take the male contraceptive pill? Share your thoughts in the comments below.