Women up until now have had a monopoly on birth control options, but several forms of male contraceptive pills are currently being developed. While it may still be too early to get your hands on one of these pills, you may be able to find them in pharmacies in the next five years. There are several types of male contraceptive pills undergoing testing right now.

One of these is a hormone-based pill similar to the oral birth control pill taken by women. This pill would deliver amounts of testosterone and progesterone, the combination of which both reduces sperm counts to zero and encourages the maintenance of typically male attributes. So far men who have participated in studies report few side effects, the worst being acne, weight gain and headaches. The studies show the men’s sperm counts dropped to zero within days of taking the pills, and the effects were easily reversible simply by not taking the pills. Men would need to take the pills every day for them to be effective, just like the female birth control pill.

Another male contraceptive pill being developed is a non-hormonal pill that does not reduce sperm counts as well, but rather inhibits the function of a smooth muscle in the vas deferens, inhibiting ejaculation of sperm. This pill still allows the man to experience orgasm, but inhibits the release of any sperm, creating a dry ejaculation experience. Men report the pleasure factor to be consistent with normal ejaculation, and the effect is reversible within 24 hours. Men take the pill two to three hours before engaging in intercourse. No negative side effects of this birth control have yet been recorded.

One last possibility being investigated is a pill that would inhibit the tails on sperm. Sperm have tails when in the testes, but they do not use them. The sperm tails are enabled when they come in contact with a particular protein on their way out. Scientists are looking for a way to inhibit the production of this tail-enabling protein so the sperm would be immobile, making fertilization impossible.

So while the male contraceptive pill is currently not a birth control option, it soon will be. Will men embrace their new options?  Considering all of these options are more pleasurable than using condoms and are reversible, we can possibly expect men to soon be the ones purchasing birth control pills at the pharmacy counter.