There’s no question that when it comes to birth control methods, the majority of them are designed for the female body. Aside from condoms, other forms of male birth control are rare. It’s taken over 40 years of research and scientist now claim they are very close to releasing the first ever birth control pill method…for men.

What will this new development mean for the battle of the sexes? Will it take the pressure off of women or will it cause more problems than it will solve? For most women, the idea of having their male counterparts deal with taking a birth control pill is a cause for celebration, not to mention a sigh of relief. Ever since the idea popped up decades ago, people wondered if such a product could really be developed and what impact it would have on both men and women.

According to researchers developing the pill for men, it has the ability to dramatically decrease a man’s sperm count, making it less likely for pregnancy to occur. It sounds simple enough. The process starts by introducing a synthetic hormone called desogestrel into the male body. It works to block off sperm production and in order to be effective it must be taken once a day just like the traditional birth control pill taken by women. Even though condoms and the female birth control pill continue to be the most popular methods of practicing safe sex and birth control, those developing the male birth control pill claim that their product is way more effective. How do they know? Their findings show that through scores of clinical trials, a man’s sperm count was actually reduced to zero. Even the female birth control pill hasn’t been able to match that type of outcome.

As far as side effects, the clinical trials showed that the most common side effect shared by men taking the birth control pill is slight weight gain. Compared to the female birth control pill, which carries various side effects, men would be much better off. The only concern most have is the tendency to forget to take the pill once a day. Researchers say the male birth control pill is ideal for any man to take but they are quick to point out that it is not meant to protect against STDs. Because of this, many believe the ones that will benefit most from this method of birth control would be couples that are in long-term, monogamous relationships, as opposed to those that practice casual sex or have multiple partners. Of course there are no rules as of yet saying that the male birth control pill can only be taken by those in a long term relationship. The clinical trials still have a way to go before final results can be drawn and the product can be cleared by the FDA for release to the public so while the male birth control pill shows great promise, it may still be some time before the idea of a man taking “the pill” becomes a reality.

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