Birth control pills for women have been around for a long time, but now men have the option to prevent pregnancy too.
Men have been waiting a long time for a male birth control pill, and it seems as though scientists keep pushing back its debut.
“Certainly, men aren’t completely at a loss for contraception; according to Planned Parenthood, they can choose from five non-medicinal options: abstinence, condoms, outercourse, vasectomy and withdrawal [source: Planned Parenthood]. Yet some men complain that none of those options allow them to fully enjoy sex, as condoms may reduce penile sensation, for instance, and vasectomies require an additional surgery to reverse,” according to How Stuff Works.
The factors causing the delay with the male birth control pill are currently a topic in the recent edition of Chemical and Engineering News, which is a newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, that comes out weekly.
In the article, C&EN associate editor, Michael M. Torrice, C&EN talks of the need for a male oral contraceptive pill. A great example of why it is needed, is the substantial number of unintended pregnancies, which cost state and federal programs approximately $11 billion annually.
In addition, the story goes into detail about the scientific and regulatory hurdles in developing new contraceptives.