Male Contraceptive Initiative has evolved to become one of the leading funders and advocates for male contraception.
The foundation of MCI's work is rooted in a keen understanding of the inevitable impact that new male contraceptives will have on the world. Our mission has always been rooted in providing "Reproductive Autonomy for All", and we strive each day to advance that cause through our funding and advocacy efforts. Here we highlight some of the key organizational milestones since our inception.
History of Male Contraceptive Initiative
Male Contraceptive Initiative was founded in 2012 in response to the identified need for an organization dedicated to providing advocacy and funding support for the development of non-hormonal, reversible male contraceptive methods. Since then, the organization has experienced tremendous success and growth as we continue championing an underfunded and underrepresented area of sexual reproductive health. In the timeline below, we share some of the highlights from each year of the organization's existence.
2023
2023
- 2023 grantees Johan Andersen-Ranberg, Deborah Anderson, John Howl, and Steven L’Hernault are announced
- Male Contraceptive Initiative partnered with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to fund a market research study across 7 distinct markets around the world to develop an understanding of the demand for male contraception, men’s interest in and preferences for novel forms of male birth control, and the level of trust that female partners have in their male partners to use birth control. The study was designed and conducted by Outsight4Development, Alstonia Impact, and DesireLine.
- MCI’s Kevin Shane invited to be a speaker at SXSW to highlight the significance of male contraception in “Reproductive Autonomy: It’s a We-Sponsibility”
2022
2022
- 2022 grantees Lonny Levin & Jochen Buck are announced
- Male Contraceptive Initiative launched its for-profit subsidiary Contraceptive Accelerator Network (CAN) to help ensure that promising non-hormonal, reversible contraceptive targets receive the support necessary to develop them as next generation birth control methods
- MCI worked with students from the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health to develop an educational digital manual that provides an introduction to and exploration of male reproductive biology and birth control
2021
2021
- 2021 grantees Nadja Mannowetz, Mike O'Rand, Gunda Georg, Jean-Ju Chung, and Thomas Garcia are announced
- Male Contraceptive Initiative launched its Non-hormonal, Reversible Male Contraception Target Database
- In an effort to connect male contraceptives to sustainability goals and challenges, MCI created a series about Male Contraception & The Sustainable Development Goals
- Male Contraceptive Initiative developed a series of educational primers to help inform people about male reproduction and contraception
- MCI created a robust set of “Personas” for the research community and general public to utilize in brainstorming about the contraceptives of the future
- Reaffirming its role as an ecosystem facilitator, MCI hosted a virtual ideation event with colleagues and peers in Australia to explore collaboration opportunities
- MCI published a forum outlining the purpose of and funding opportunities provided by Male Contraceptive Initiative
2020
2020
- Male Contraceptive Initiative partnered with Contraline, Inc. to provide a $1 million Program Related Investment (PRI) to support a first-in-human clinical trial for the company’s novel vas-occlusive contraceptive device, ADAM™
- 2020 Grantees Mike O’Rand, Mariano Buffone, Robert Braun, Alison Ojanen-Goldsmith, and Pablo Visconti are announced
- Oleksander “Sasha” Kirsanov, Saman Nayyab, and Md Abdullah Al Noman named 2020 MCI Fellows
- Brittany Chambers and Jaylan Weaver join us as our first fellows from North Carolina Central University
- Townshend Peters and Elyse Miller join us as our 2020 fellows from UNC Gillings School of Public Health
- 2020 MCI RFA announced with funding tracks of $150,000 and $300,000, including scope for behavioral research
- David C. Sokal, MD, steps down as Chair of the Board
- MCI publishes peer-reviewed articles in Biology of Reproduction and Contraception
- MCI launches Intended - the first podcast focused entirely on male contraception
2019
2019
- 2019 Grantees Mike O’Rand, Stephen Palmer, Steven L’Hernault, and Zhibing Zhang are announced
- Vas-occlusion grants awarded to Contraline and Revolution Contraceptives
- Four new research grants awarded from $150,000-$300,000
- Kathryn Carpenter joins as our first fellow from UNC Gillings
- MCI publishes our first consumer research study
- Pilot programs launched for Campus Ambassadors & a Youth Advisory Board
- Melanie Balbach, Jae Yeon Hwang, and Max Lyon named 2020 MCI Fellows
- 2019 RFA announced with funding tracks of $150,000 and $300,000
- Ideation event and convening of non-hormonal male contraceptive researchers hosted in San Francisco
2018
2018
- Four $150,000 seed grants awarded to early stage research universities in the US, Australia, and Argentina
- Co-authored a publication on the potential impact of new male contraceptives on unintended pregnancies in the journal, Contraception
- Deb Levine, MA is hired as Interim Executive Director
- Fellowships awarded to 2018 MCI Fellows Aaron Crapster and Liliya Gabalev
- Heather Vahdat, MPH is hired as Executive Director
- Kevin Shane is hired as Communications & Design Director
2017
2017
- Logan Nickels, PhD is hired as Director of Programs and Operations
- First $500k grant awarded to start-up, Vibliome, working on kinase inhibitors and their escape pathways
- Conducted market research survey on acceptability of novel male contraceptives with 1500 men in the US
2016
2016
- Partnerships established with FHI360 and DKT International
- Board of Directors expands to a total of 7
- Scientific Advisory Board convened
2015
2015
- Indiegogo campaign raises $10k in donations for MCI
- Grant awarded to Dr. Gary Flynn at the University of Montana
2014
2014
- Aaron Hamlin, JD, MBA hired as the first Executive Director
- Name of the organization is changed to Male Contraception Initiative (MCI)
2013
2013
- Article published in Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News titled, “Men and Women Need a New Contraceptive” by David C. Sokal
- The Foundation for Male Contraception incorporated as a 501(c)3 organization
- First funding awarded from Elaine Lissner of the Parsemus Foundation
2012
2012
- David C. Sokal, MD gives a presentation making the case for new reversible male contraceptives at a WHO Technical Consultation in Geneva
Male Contraceptive Initiative's Key Milestones
History of Contraception
Contraception, including male methods, is nothing new: humans have been developing products in an effort to prevent pregnancy for millenia. We collated the timeline below to highlight some of the key moments of contraception research and development throughout history. (Please note that the entries marked with an * indicate important milestones for the field).
2022*
* On Friday, June 24, 2022, the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark piece of legislation that made access to an abortion a federal right in the United States. The decision dismantled 50 years of legal protection and paved the way for individual states to curtail or outright ban abortion rights.
2018
Recruitment for clinical trials of the hormonal male birth control gel NES/T begins.
2014
* Male Contraceptive Initiative was founded in an effort to provide funding and advocacy support for the research and development of new non-hormonal, reversible methods of male contraception.
1984
An estimated 50 to 80 million women worldwide take The Pill.
1982
The Pill's impact on women in the workforce is significant. With highly effective birth control now at their disposal, 60% of women of reproductive age are employed in America.
1968
Sales of the Pill hit the $150 million mark. American women can now select from 7 different brands.
David Niven and Deborah Kerr star in the Hollywood film Prudence and the Pill. Birth control, once considered obscene and vulgar, is now a pop culture icon.
David Niven and Deborah Kerr star in the Hollywood film Prudence and the Pill. Birth control, once considered obscene and vulgar, is now a pop culture icon.
1967
Over 12.5 million women worldwide are on the Pill.
1965*
* Just five years after the Pill's FDA approval, more than 6.5 million American women are taking oral contraceptives, making the Pill the most popular form of birth control in the U.S. Searle still dominates the market, and does $89 million in sales of Enovid.
The U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the Comstock laws that banned contraception.
The U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the Comstock laws that banned contraception.
1964
One quarter of all couples in America using birth control choose the Pill.
The Pill becomes the most popular form of reversible birth control in America.
Despite general public approval for birth control, ghosts of the Comstock Laws linger. Eight states still prohibit the sale of contraceptives, and laws in Massachusetts and Connecticut still prevent the dissemination of information about birth control.
The Pill becomes the most popular form of reversible birth control in America.
Despite general public approval for birth control, ghosts of the Comstock Laws linger. Eight states still prohibit the sale of contraceptives, and laws in Massachusetts and Connecticut still prevent the dissemination of information about birth control.
1963
Around 2.3 million American women on the Pill.
1962
1.2 million American women on the Pill.
1960s
Enovid is approved for the purposes of contraception by the FDA.
1959
Less than two years after FDA approval of Enovid for therapeutic purposes, an unusually large number of American women mysteriously develop severe menstrual disorders and ask their doctors for the drug. By late 1959, over half a million American women are taking Enovid, presumably for the "off-label" contraceptive purposes.
1957
The FDA approves the use of Enovid for the treatment of severe menstrual disorders and requires the drug label to carry the warning that Enovid will prevent ovulation.
1956*
* Enovid is the first birth control submitted for FDA approval in America.
1954
The Pill regimen still in use today is established for only 21 days, followed by a 7-day break to allow for menstruation. They know the Pill will be controversial and want oral progesterone to be seen as a "natural " process, not something that interferes with the normal menstrual cycle.
1953
* Katharine McCormick, millionaire philanthroper and heir to the International Harvester fortune writes Gregory Pincus a check for a huge sum -- $40,000 -- with assurances she will provide him with all the additional funding he will need. The Pill project is restarted.
1951
The Planned Parenthood Federation of America runs 200 birth control clinics. Margaret Sanger has been successful in fighting legal restrictions on contraceptives, and birth control has gained wide acceptance in America. Still, Sanger remains deeply unsatisfied, because women have no better methods for birth control than they did when she first envisioned "the pill" over 40 years earlier. Margaret Sanger manages to secure a tiny grant for Gregory Pincus from Planned Parenthood, and Pincus begins initial work on the use of hormones as a contraceptive at The Worcester Foundation. Pincus sets out to prove his hypothesis that injections of the hormone progesterone will inhibit ovulation and thus prevent pregnancy in his lab animals. Pincus goes to the drug company G.D. Searle and requests additional funding from them for the pill project. Searle's director of research tells Pincus that his previous work on an oral hormonal contraceptive for women was "a lamentable failure" and refuses to invest in the project.
1950s
Americans spend an estimated $200 million a year on contraceptives. Due to massive improvements over the past decade in condom quality and a growing awareness of the inadequacies of douches, "rubbers" are the most popular form of birth control on the market. Although the vast majority of doctors approve of birth control for the good of families, anti-birth control laws on the books in thirty states still prohibit or restrict the sale and advertisement of contraceptive devices. It is a felony in Massachusetts to "exhibit, sell, prescribe, provide, or give out information" about them. In Connecticut, it is a crime for a couple to use contraception.
1928
Almost 30 years after the discovery of hormones, scientists at the University of Rochester in New York identify progesterone, the ovarian hormone. They conclude that this hormone plays a crucial role in preparing the womb for and sustaining a pregnancy.
1923
Margaret Sanger successfully opens the first legal birth control clinic in the U.S. with the stated intent of only using contraceptives for medical purposes, such as the prevention of life-threatening pregnancies and in accordance with the Crane decision.
1921
Margaret Sanger establishes the American Birth Control League, the antecedent of the Planned Parent Federation of America.
In the 1920s, the U.S. birth rate drops by half. Condom reliability is still terrible by modern standards, but people achieved effective birth control by combining condoms, the rhythm method, male withdrawal, diaphragms, and/or intrauterine devices.
In the 1920s, the U.S. birth rate drops by half. Condom reliability is still terrible by modern standards, but people achieved effective birth control by combining condoms, the rhythm method, male withdrawal, diaphragms, and/or intrauterine devices.
1915
Anthony Comstock dies, but his anti-birth control laws remain entrenched. In New York City a group of women form the National Birth Control League, an antecedent of the International Planned Parenthood Federation.
1914*
* Margaret Sanger coins the term "birth control" and dares to use the phrase in the June 1914 issue of her journal “The Woman Rebel” which outlines how to make and use contraceptives. For this crime and others, Sanger is indicted for nine violations of the Comstock Law. Rather than face the charges, she flees the country to continue her work in England.
1873
Congress passes the Comstock Law, an anti-obscenity act that specifically lists contraceptives as obscene material and outlaws the dissemination of them via the postal service or interstate commerce. At the time, the United States is the only western nation to enact laws criminalizing birth control.
1845-1872
The U.S. contraceptive industry flourishes. In addition to condoms (immediately known as "rubbers"), there's widespread sale and use of intrauterine devices, or IUDs, douching syringes, vaginal sponges, diaphragms and cervical caps (then called "womb veils"), and "male caps" that covered only the tip of the penis.
1844
Charles Goodyear patents vulcanization of rubber. Soon, rubber condoms are mass produced. Unlike modern condoms -- made to be used once and thrown away -- early condoms were washed, anointed with petroleum jelly, and put away in special wooden boxes for later reuse. British playwright and essayist George Bernard Shaw called the rubber condom the "greatest invention of the nineteenth century."
1838
A German doctor, Friedrich Wilde, offers patients a small cervical cap to cover the cervix between menstrual periods. This method is never widely adopted, but the "Wilde Cap," as it became known, is the precursor to the modern diaphragm.
1827
In a major scientific breakthrough, scientists discover the existence of the female egg -- the ovum. Prior to this, it is only known that semen must enter the female body for conception to occur. This is the first step in understanding the science of human reproduction.
1734
Giacomo Girolamo Casanova begins his amorous career, and is among the first to use condoms to prevent pregnancy. Said to prefer condoms made from lamb intestine -- still the preferred material for natural gut condoms -- he also used linen condoms tied off with a ribbon.
600 B.C.
Greek colonists in North Africa discover Silphion, reputedly the first oral contraceptive. Silphion was an herb -- thought to be a kind of giant fennel -- that grew only in the area now known as Libya. Despite heroic efforts, it could not be cultivated. Worth its weight in silver, silphion was harvested to extinction by 100 A.D.
3000 B.C.*
* The condom is invented in Egypt. Ancient drawings clearly depict men wearing condoms - sometimes made of material that may have been animal hide. It's not clear what they were made of -- or whether they were used for sex or ceremonial dress.
The History Of Birth Control | TIME
For as long as men and women have been having children, they've been trying to figure out how not to. Artifacts dating back to ancient times have shown that contraceptives have been used for thousands of years.
For as long as men and women have been having children, they've been trying to figure out how not to. Artifacts dating back to ancient times have shown that contraceptives have been used for thousands of years.
MCI's 100 Years of Contraception | Infographic
This infographic features significant birth control milestones over the past century. (Please be sure to visit our Infographics page for additional visualizations of pertinent information related to contraception and family planning).
