Meet The Male Birth Control Activists

If Aphiwe Thusi, 34, never had to wear a condom again, he’d be a happy man.

- Danielle Friedman

But the graphic designer doesn’t want kids anytime soon and knows that his fiancée has had to carry the burden of their birth control for three and a half years. The lack of contraceptive options for men has left him frustrated, wondering, ‘Why isn’t there an equivalent to the pill for men?’

“My whole adult life I’ve had this kind of weird, powerless feeling around preventing pregnancy,” says Aphiwe. That’s why, for the past several years, he has not only tracked the development of a new male birth control – an injectable called Vasalgel that would temporarily prevent the release of sperm – but also donated money to researchers and offered to participate in clinical trials.

Since the pill first debuted in the ’60s, dozens more birth control options for women have been developed, including the patch, the implant, the shot, the vaginal ring and five IUDs. Men still have basically three options: condoms, vasectomies and pulling out (the latter, for most, is not a great option). “We’re neglecting 50% of our population by not having new methods for men,” says Dr Stephanie Page, an endocrinologist and a leader in the effort to develop hormonal birth control for men.

Despite years of headlines about a possible male pill, researchers say any new male contraceptive is still five to 10 years away. One reason for the lag: a perceived lack of interest. Proponents say they’re up against deeply ingrained cultural attitudes that contraception is a women’s issue. But 13 years ago, a study suggested that nearly half of men would be on board with using a new contraceptive if one were available. Now, some are starting to demand it. Momentum is starting to build.