On the trail of the male contraceptive pill
By 
James Mitchell Crow2025-01-20T09:25:00
As multiple novel male contraception compounds enter clinical trials, is family planning about to undergo a second revolution? James Mitchell Crow reports
A broader suite of contraceptive options is clearly required – not least for the half of the population that still has very limited choice. More than six decades after the introduction of the female birth control pill, the number of contraceptive options for men remains stuck at two: the essentially non-reversible vasectomy, or the male condom. With a typical failure rate of 13%, male condoms are far less reliable than the reversible contraceptive options available to women.
After decades of stalled progress, dedicated research funding programmes and male contraception advocacy groups have reinvigorated the field. Two non-hormonal and four hormonal male contraceptives have recently begun human clinical trials, deploying diverse chemistries to prevent unintended pregnancy. At least a dozen other options are close behind, in the development to pre-clinical phase of research.