Historically, there have been few options for men when it comes to pregnancy prevention, each one with own pros and cons: condoms, vasectomy, and interruption (hey, I didn’t say I was encouraging the methods!). However, there are researchers all over the world who are looking to find (or accidentally discovered) a male birth control pill.

One study conducted in Scotland and China has developed a pill that works very much like, and with the same components as, the female birth control pill. Desogestrel, a synthetic hormone, has been proven to prevent the production of sperm--the same way it halts ovulation in women. Men in the study were also given testosterone pills every 12 weeks to prevent any sort of hormone imbalance. This pill was 100% effective with all 60 men who participated.

Another potential male birth control was discovered by accident. Dr. Susan Benoff discovered that Nifedipine, a common high blood pressure medication, was causing one of her patients to be infertile. As soon as he stopped taking the medicine, his fertility levels returned back to normal. Nifedipine is called a calcium blocker -- calcium being important for sperm production. The sperm’s membranes harden and are unable to penetrate the egg.

There are two other non-hormone based studies of male fertility. A study in San Diego discovered a gene that helps in the production of sperm in mice. Without it, sperm does not mature and therefore can’t penetrate an egg. In Britain, researchers found a protein that has been successful in preventing mice from producing sperm. Neither of these studies have been tried on a human male as of yet.

All of these studies have raised questions about men’s willingness to take a birth control pill. Moreover, many people wonder if women will trust men to be responsible for preventing pregnancy, since men are not the ones who get pregnant. In fact, these concerns are so prevalent that even the World Health Organization believes that only an injectable male birth control would be a successful method in preventing pregnancy.

It is because of these notions of lack of interest that pharmaceutical companies, who fund the research, aren’t whole-heartedly pursuing the search for a male birth control pill. In fact, even when the research is discovered, drug companies aren’t jumping to test the methods.

However one study that two-thirds of the men polled would take a pill and 80% of women would support a male pill. More incredible is 98% of women would trust their man to take the pill.

Since some women can’t take the pill because of medical reasons or just plain don’t want to, opening up the options for birth control can do nothing but help. Moreover, in the battle of the sexes, expanding the options for men is one more way to even the playing fields. And it is time for men everywhere to stand up and say, "I care about safe sex!"