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It's About Time: Male Birth Control Takes the Spotlight

Two new breakthroughs in male birth control

By Macaroni KID June 10, 2024

Ladies, the moment we've all been waiting for has arrived: Men might finally be shouldering some of the birth control burden. In a world where we've endured hormonal rollercoasters, pill reminders, the occasional panic of a condom gone wrong, and a post-Roe world, science may finally be stepping in to level the playing field.

Two exciting breakthroughs have hit the news recently for male birth control. First, there's a hormonal gel in clinical trials that suppresses sperm production while keeping testosterone levels intact. Just a quick rub on the shoulders each morning, and voilà, no spermies in sight. Participants have noted minimal side effects, mainly a slight increase in libido. Oh, the irony.

Then there's the non-hormonal route. Researchers at the Salk Institute discovered a way to halt sperm production using HDAC inhibitors. This method targets a protein complex essential for sperm creation, and the best part? It's reversible. Stop the treatment, and sperm production picks up right where it left off. No harm, no foul.


Pepermpron | Canva

This all seems like good timing for this to be in the news, what with Father’s Day coming up. Instead of a tie or a grill set, this year the men in our lives can give us a gift instead — the gift of shared responsibility. After all, we've spent years popping pills, getting shots, and enduring the pain of inserted devices. It’s about time the men in our lives have a chance to step up.

We joke, but let's get real for a moment. Contraception has long been a woman's responsibility, often with significant physical and emotional tolls. The advent of male birth control isn't just about convenience. It's about equity. Women deserve a break, and men deserve the chance to take on a more active role in family planning.

So here’s to a future where birth control is a shared duty ... and we all get a bit of relief. Men, welcome to the club. We're happy to have you.

This article was generated with the assistance of ChatGPT, an AI language model developed by OpenAI.