Indonesia Creates a Birth Control Pill for Men

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A friend of mine sent me an link to an article entitled Indonesia's Birth Control Pill for Men. I learned that Thailand there is a remote island called Papua where men have long utilized a shrub called Gandarusa.

The men of Papua say that if you chew the leaves long enough women will not become pregnant. According to the article, Indonesian scientists are making strides towards creating a pill using the shrubs extracts.

According to the article,

“With luck, it could be released late this year, but it will probably be sold in stores early next year,” said Sugiri Syarief, the head of Indonesia’s state-run National Family Planning Coordination Board.

Researchers began analyzing gandarusa in 1988, Sugiri said. Animal and human trials began in the 1990s and the plant’s effective compound was patented in 2007.

According to a government report on the drug, it prevents pregnancy by slowing down the activity of certain enzymes in the sperm that help them wriggle into a female’s ovum.

The pill should last 72 hours and there are no side effects.

Even though the West has attempted to produce a male birth control pill Indonesia might have an advantage being that is has an estimated 7,000 medicinal plants.

In the past I have posted about birth control and have mentioned that it seems sexism plays a part in the delay of a mass produced pill for men. I think a lot of men are content with women taking the pill and doing something different might make men uncomfortable. If you don't believe me feel free to do some Google searches on male birth control.

There is another factor that serves as a roadblock to a male birth control pill. According the article mentioned above, "a recent study by the U.S. government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that more than 80 percent of women who’ve ever had sex with a man used birth control pills at some point. A male birth control pill could eat into this massive market. And because other options already exist — condoms and vasectomies — the male birth control pill would need to sell for a relatively cheap price."

Other non-U.S. countries are researching more options for male birth control however U.S. regulations may prevent the U.S. from distributing.

Even so, Indonesia’s president and politicians are ready to publicly support the gandarusa pill at this time. If things progress the pill will be promoted to other countries.