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"It is unfair that there is no contraceptive method for men, women have been left to blame"
  • In the 1960s, the contraceptive pill for women was invented, but today, why haven't pharmacies promoted birth control pills for men, why studies have been suspended, why haven't men shown any interest? The reasons are not scientific, but gender, according to reproduction biologist Adam Watkins.
Mikel Garcia Idiakez @mikelgi 2021eko martxoaren 16a

There are 214 million women in the world who take birth control pills, which makes fortune. The success of the pill has meant that pharmacies do not have much strength to look for the same solution for men. “Responsibility has remained practically in the hands of women, and that is unfair,” says Adam Watkins on the BBC, professor of reproductive biology at the University of Nottingham.

For side effects, men don't want pills

Watkins explained that although in theory it should not be difficult to control the process of creating sperm, research has been carried out to this end, but research has been suspended. For example, side effects: “In 2016, the test conducted with several men showed that it produced side effects: pimples on the skin, changes in mood and increased libido, and men said they were unbearable effects, so the research did not thrive. However, these conclusions can be considered of the second order if one takes into account that women who take the pill suffer them: anxiety, bait, nausea, headache, livid descent, clots…”.

Future and importance of co-responsibility

Watkins believes that things will change in the future, that there are many men willing to take the pill, and points out two main studies to get male contraceptives: one puts limits on sperm release and the other, although it doesn't stop sperm from moving, it doesn't let sperm pass.

The presence of pills for men is not enough if men do not change their position and are not willing to take them, adds Dr. Lisa Field-Engelstein: "If there is no change in gender norms, men do not seem to use the contraceptive pill as much as women, however much there is supply. From the point of view of social justice, we must move towards a method of shared contraceptive responsibility. And to do so, we first need to devote more resources to developing contraceptive methods for men.”