After introducing the importance of male contraception, we would like to tell you more about the history behind it. Once you complete this chapter, you will have a better understanding of the current status of male contraception research and development.
Key Points/Learning Objectives
- Understanding the history of contraception
- Why is there a lack of male contraception
- What current male contraception methods are available
History of Contraception
Contraception, including male methods, is nothing new: humans have been developing products in an effort to prevent pregnancy for over a millennia. We collated the timeline below to highlight some of the key moments of contraception research and development throughout history.
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.
"Intended" Podcast Episodes
In the 1950’s a birth control pill was being tested in men. And it worked. But it never made it to market because of one unexpected reason.
Men have had condoms and vasectomies as their only options for centuries and The Pill was released nearly 60 years ago. Why aren’t there more options for men? Why have we been 10 years away from a male pill for 50 years?
Men have had condoms and vasectomies as their only options for centuries and The Pill was released nearly 60 years ago. Why aren’t there more options for men? Why have we been 10 years away from a male pill for 50 years?
This MCI Lemonade Stand provides a background into why male reproductive health is a missing science:
MCI's Lemonade Stand: "The Missing Science of Men's Reproductive Health"
Existing Methods of Male Contraception
Existing Methods of Male Contraception
We Need More Male Methods, Not Data
This blog post is written by Male Contraceptive Initiative's Executive Director Heather Vahdat, and is response to the article "The young women choosing to go without contraception"
This blog post is written by Male Contraceptive Initiative's Executive Director Heather Vahdat, and is response to the article "The young women choosing to go without contraception"
The Role of Male Contraceptives in Advancing Women's Health
Champions in the Male Contraception Field
Honoring Male Contraception Champions
Nearly half of all pregnancies worldwide are unintended and current options do not meet the needs of users desiring contraception, specifically with respect to male methods which are still limited to condoms and vasectomy. Despite this, there has been little progress in the development of new male contraceptives for the past half century. This is largely due to limited funding and, by extension, limited human resources working to address this shortfall. The progress that has been made to date is thanks to the tireless efforts of a small group of passionate scientists and advocates. In an effort to highlight the efforts of these champions of male contraception, MCI has created new funding mechanisms specifically to thank and celebrate two of our founding members:
Dr. David Sokal and Beverly Tucker.
Nearly half of all pregnancies worldwide are unintended and current options do not meet the needs of users desiring contraception, specifically with respect to male methods which are still limited to condoms and vasectomy. Despite this, there has been little progress in the development of new male contraceptives for the past half century. This is largely due to limited funding and, by extension, limited human resources working to address this shortfall. The progress that has been made to date is thanks to the tireless efforts of a small group of passionate scientists and advocates. In an effort to highlight the efforts of these champions of male contraception, MCI has created new funding mechanisms specifically to thank and celebrate two of our founding members:
Dr. David Sokal and Beverly Tucker.
History of MCI
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.
Nuts & Bolts: 10 Facts about Male Contraception
