Always use protection. The three words that have been ingrained in my mind ever since my first round of sex-ed in the fifth grade. Before I even really knew what sex was, I was presented with a massive list of contraceptive options that was simultaneously confusing and overwhelming. An IUD might as well have been a UFO. However, despite my brain being befuddled with a grocery list of diaphragms, pills and hormonal patches, perhaps the most interesting observation I noticed was that the only birth control method recommended to my male counterparts was the condom.
When it comes to contraception, women, for the most part, have carried the weight in managing birth control, and rightfully so. The consequences of an unwanted pregnancy fall heavily, if not totally, on the female, therefore, making women more proactive about contraceptives than men. One could argue that women have an advantage because they have more birth control options compared to males, however, why do most of these options require women to alter their body chemistry, whereas men can just slip on a condom and call it a day? Why do I have to inject, ingest or insert some hormone altering substance into my body and not only trust that it prevents me from getting pregnant, but also hope that it doesn't make me gain a significant amount of weight, alter my mood or make me nauseous?
While sex-ed tells us that men and women should both be responsible for making sure that they are protected, I can't seem to shake the feeling that as a woman, I'm pulling a little more weight with a lot more at stake.
Recently, scientists have been experimenting with male birth control options that go beyond condoms and vasectomies. Since 2010, Elaine Lissner, executive director of the Parsemus Foundation has been "leading a small team working to develop Vasalgel, a non-hormonal polymer gel urologists can inject into the vas deferens (the tube the sperm swim through) after first making a small slit in the scrotal skin."
While the slit is too small to require any stitches, it is a large enough incision to be considered a minor surgery. The procedure is supposed to take only 10 minutes, similar to a vasectomy procedure, and in recent studies has been found to have no noticeable side effects. While there is still research to be done, Lissner believes that Vasalgel could be on the market as early as 2018.
While this new product seems promising, my first reaction is why has it taken so long to begin conducting this research? We've spent years and years developing more effective methods of birth control for women, but have only recently started doing the same for men. So, why?
Some researchers believe the male population will be turned off by male birth control options because they "stifle masculinity" or they might be frightened by the potential of uncomfortable side effects. However, the reality is that as a woman, birth control has become increasingly less and less of an option and more of a necessity.
While researchers are beginning to develop more male birth control options, it seems that until then, women will continue to bear the brunt of responsibility when it comes to preventing pregnancy. I can only hope that when my child experiences sex-ed for the first time, the list of female and male contraceptives will be equally long and equally used.
