reduces sperm—is being bankrolled by a small
pile of government funds allocated to all contra-
ceptive research, including more options for
women.) Plus, the thinking has gone, if some
new male contraceptive option went haywire
after a few years, men might sue for big bucks.
S o ye s , you a r e c or r e c t : T h i s i s p u r e s e x i s m a t
play, confirms Lisa Campo-Engelstein, PhD, an
associate professor of bioethics at Albany Medi-
cal College. “No one blinked an eye when
women experienced diminished sex drive on
the pill,” she says. “But when that’s happened
for male contraceptives? People say, ‘No way,
t h a t ’s p a r t of wh a t it me a n s t o b e a ma n .’ ”That’s nice. But what about us?
At the same time as all this testing and retesting
and dead-ending has been going on, dozens
of types of female birth control have been
approved, like the now-ubiquitous birth-control
pill. “Women had a huge demand for this prod-
uct,” says journalist Jonathan Eig, author of
The Birth of the Pill. But meeting that demand
came with a double standard that’s allowed
men to stay off the hook, he adds, sometimes
even at serious risk to women.
Take Enovid, approved in 1960, which con-
tained literally 10,000 times the amount of
estrogen in today’s low-dose pills. Women had
been taking it for several years before anyone
realized it had serious side effects like blood clots
and stroke. In 1974, the Dalkon Shield, an early
IUD with an alien-sounding name, had to be
pulled from shelves because, after three years on
the market, it was causing issues like severe
pelvic inflammatory infections, pregnancy
complications, and even death.1980 S
Modern versions
of the low-dose
birth-control pill
become available.1986
The World Health
Organization declares
gossypol “not
acceptable” because
it’s not totally reversible.
2016
A trial of testosterone
and progesterone
injections is promising,
until guys drop out due
to side effects.1974
The Dalkon Shield, an IUD,
is pulled three years
after its release because
of complications.1998
The first emergency
contraceptive is
approved by the
FDA.1996
Weekly shots of
testosterone fail
to launch after men
complain about
weight gain.2018
Clinical trials of NES/T,
a hormonal, topical
gel that stops sperm
production, begin in nine
sites here and abroad.2000 TO 2002
BC products like the
patch, NuvaRing, and
the Mirena IUD are
FDA approved.2006
Trials on a hormonal
implant are abandoned
when drug companies
fear guys won’t use it.The FDA approves another IUD,
Kyleena, which has fewer
hormones than some previous
options and lasts five years.2010
Vasalgel, an injectable
gel that blocks sperm,
gets a projected
availability of 2018
(still waiting).progesterone shots fell apart when men started
dropping out after experiencing muscle pain,
acne, depression, and changes in sex drive.
“Men just aren’t going to tolerate anything
that messes with their libido or is associated
with weight gain,” says Dr. Amory with a sigh.
And major pharma companies with the funding
to field drug trials are obviously not going to be
motivated to put money or marketing behind a
product that might not even interest their clien-
tele. (Case in point: Dr. Amory says he doesn’t
consider pharmaceutical funding an option for
male birth control these days. His current
research—a clinical trial of a hormonal gel thatWillbelieveitwhenIseeit!135
Cosmopolitan September 2019