Bro, Are You On The Pill?

Image Courtesy: Pinterest

Most people with a uterus have been expected to be on the pill ever since it was deemed “safe” to have safe sex with someone who has testes. But now that trials for male birth control have been successful with mice, we can also depend on men to not give women a baby. Or can we? Will putting this weight on men later create a double standard for those who are on the pill?

This contraceptive pill will be non-hormonal, and so far, is 99% effective in preventing pregnancy within mice. However, it has not yet passed to human trials due to safety concerns. Since this pill is non-hormonal, there will not be as many side effects as a regular contraceptive, as most are based on hormones.

With contraceptives, hormonal or not, comes huge responsibility. A responsibility that women have dealt with for about 70 years. Since birth control was invented in the 1950s, the number of different contraceptive methods has increased, from the pill to patches to IUDs. And this whole time, it has been the responsibility of a woman, if the man didn’t wear a condom. We are all aware of the importance of safe sex, but will men be willing to get on a contraceptive to face the responsibilty women take?

If you are unaware of the side effects of birth control, let me enlighten you—brace yourselves. There’s headaches, nausea, breast tenderness, cramps, acne, mood swings, weight changes, skin allergies, and fatigue. Although, for some it helped them get to the weight they wanted, have less acne, less bleeding during menstruation, or stop getting as many cramps. It’s important to know that every body reacts differently to different forms of birth control, but all of the above is a possible side effect.

A poll on Instagram, conducted by yours truly, asking guys if they would take birth control, found that 67% would and 33% wouldn’t. I also asked them for their reasoning for answering yes or no.

The guys who answered “yes,” claimed things related to an unwanted pregnancy. Answers ranged from simply, “I don’t want a child” to “save on Plan B,” and “I’m broke,” which is obviously understandable. Of course, finances are a big part of having a child. In 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture stated that the average cost to raise a child to age 18 was about $230,000(!!!). On top of that, taking a pill every single day is a huge responsibility and much more difficult to stay on top of than it might seem. An even bigger responsibility? A baby. Someone else responded, “I’m not trying to get a girl pregnant, that would ruin my 20s.” This goes back to responsibility, as having safe sex would prevent an unwanted pregnancy in the future.

For those who said no, many spoke on potential side effects. One said, “[Because I’m] opposed to artificial manipulation of hormones and menstruation.” Another said, “Nothing from these pharmaceutical companies are worth it.” It appears the lack of knowledge on the contraceptive is throwing some dudes off, making them question the credibility of the long term effects. Someone also said, “[I] don’t know too much about it and could probably cause erectile dysfunction in the future.” This is also understandable, but it makes me wonder, as a woman, how our birth control could also affect us in the long run. And should that mean that we still “have” to take the pill, while our male counterparts remain skeptical of side effects, but let us take it without batting an eye?

There were a few “in-between” answers, though. One said, “[I] would definitely wait a while to see what possible side effects are and see them fix/improve it, but like after a while I’d be down. I’m not trying to get someone pregnant.” Another said, “I’d take it if there were years of research and it was proven safe.”

However guys may feel about birth control, at least they understand the level of responsibility that comes along with it, as they should. And if this is proven to be something safe for human use, we can hopefully take some of the weight off women, and have the responsibility of birth control more evenly shared with men.

Strike Out,

Emily Fiorini-Casamayouret

Boca Raton

Emily Fiorini-Casamayouret is a Content Writer for Strike Magazine FAU. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys listening to sad music, doing some retail therapy, and eating pasta. You can reach her at emily.fiorini710@gmail.com