Sharing birth control with men is possible We just have to overcome a couple of prejudices

For decades, the contraceptive pill has been considered an exclusively female issue. Today, however, something is shifting: a non-hormonal male contraceptive pill has passed its first phase of human trials with no significant side effects. Science seems to have finally found a viable path forward. What remains to be seen is whether society is ready to take it. This is not the first time male contraception has entered the public debate. Back in 1975, the feminist magazine Effe conducted a pioneering investigation: men of different ages and backgrounds were asked whether they would be willing to take a contraceptive pill, at a time when it was even speculated that sperm could be harmful to women’s health. The answer was almost unanimous: no. Not for medical reasons, but for symbolic ones. For many, taking a pill meant questioning their sexual identity. Fifty years later, technology has changed. Mindsets, perhaps less so.

How the new male pill works

The new experimental drug, known as YCT-529, represents a clear break from past attempts. It contains no artificial hormones and does not interfere with testosterone, one of the main taboos that stalled research for decades. Instead, the active ingredient works by temporarily blocking sperm production. Preclinical tests have shown the effect to be reversible: once treatment is stopped, fertility returns to normal levels. In the first phase of human trials, sixteen healthy volunteers took the drug for two weeks without reporting adverse effects. It is only the beginning, but it is a beginning that has been missing for sixty years. In the past, several studies were halted because men were unwilling to tolerate side effects such as mood swings, acne or reduced libido. Symptoms that, not coincidentally, millions of women have experienced for decades as the “normal” price of contraception.

Contraception as an uneven responsibility

The central question is not only scientific, but above all political and cultural: who bears the burden of contraception? Even today, in most Western countries, the economic, practical and moral responsibility still falls primarily on women. They are the ones expected to be careful, to remember the pill, to manage side effects and, in the case of an unintended pregnancy, to face social judgment. Condoms remain the only non-permanent male contraceptive option, but they are often perceived as a situational solution rather than a stable choice within long-term relationships. The pill, on the other hand, implies continuity, reliability, habit and daily discipline. And it is precisely here that the deepest resistance emerges. Many online reactions to the news of the trial insist on this point: taking responsibility for contraception for one night is one thing, doing it every single day is another. Added to this is a legitimate fear, expressed mainly by women: the risk that some men might lie about taking the pill in order to avoid using condoms, with all the consequences this entails, including in terms of sexually transmitted infections.

Virility and the fear of losing power

There is also a more symbolic, yet no less central, dimension: that of virility. As early as the 1970s, the idea of a male pill was perceived as an attack on sexual potency. Today the discourse has evolved, but it has not disappeared. On the contrary, in an era obsessed with the so-called “crisis of masculinity,” fertility control is still perceived by many as a loss of power. It is no coincidence that in the United States prescriptions for testosterone-based therapies have skyrocketed, often even among men with no clinical need. Testosterone has become a cultural fetish, associated with strength and success. In this context, a drug that affects male fertility - even without altering hormones - risks being experienced as an identity threat before it is ever considered a biological one.

A revolution with no guarantees

Some signs, however, do point to change. Recent studies show that a significant percentage of men would be willing to take a male contraceptive, provided it is safe and reversible. In several countries, the use of vasectomy is increasing as a gesture of shared responsibility within couples. Still, these remain conscious minorities rather than a structural shift. If the next phases of testing prove successful, the male contraceptive pill could reach the market by the end of the decade. The real unknown, however, lies not in the laboratories, but in society. Technology can offer new tools, but it cannot, on its own, dismantle gender roles that have been entrenched for decades. Are men truly ready to share responsibility for contraception? Or does the male pill risk becoming yet another innovation that arrives too early for a culture still unwilling to change?