For centuries, the responsibility of birth control has largely fallen on women, with records of contraceptive use dating back to 1850 BC. Nutritionist Rashi Chowdhary recently explained that men do not take birth control because they have apparently been protected by the “patriarchy.” Women have been managing the negative effects of hormones since the 1960s.
According to Rashi, when birth control was first introduced in the 1960s, it contained synthetic chemicals that caused mood swings, weight gain, reduced libido, headaches, and even nutritional deficiencies. These adverse effects were either dismissed or attributed to women's "overly emotional" characteristics.
“It's literally been 70 years of mental, emotional, physical BS to prevent pregnancy, which has always solely been the responsibility or rather the woman's burden for decades now,” she said.
Rashi Chowdhary, in a recent Instagram post, pointed out the irony that men have largely opted out of the conversation around birth control, often avoiding the potential side effects like acne and mood swings, effects that women have managed for decades.
“Because in clinical trials, a few men got acne, mood swings and headaches. And, they paused the whole thing because it was too risky,” she added. While men are still in the "research" stage, women have been handling this issue since the 1960s.
While men remain in the "research" phase of birth control, women have been managing its effects since the 1960s. According to Rashi Chowdhary, the male contraceptive pill didn't fail due to ineffectiveness, but rather because maintaining men's comfort was prioritised over preventing unintended pregnancies.
Today, male birth control is finally receiving more serious attention. As Rashi points out, the standards and regulatory requirements for male contraceptives remain notably different.
YCT-529, a hormone-free male oral contraceptive, is a first-of-its-kind product from the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy. This new male pill, which is being praised for not interfering with hormones, is a legitimate male contraceptive, and its arrival is quite exciting. YCT-529, which was developed in partnership with YourChoice Therapeutics and Columbia University in New York, functions as a contraceptive by preventing sperm formation.
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