Will we believe a man who says he’s on the pill? | Barbara Ellen

A male oral contraceptive will do little to alleviate the doubts that too often accompany sexual encounters

What is it about producing medical male contraception that seems so uniquely difficult? Why is it that decades have passed since the female pill became freely available and still the “male pill” is dangled as some tantalising hope that it’s going to happen, soon, one day, in the future… just not right now?

A male contraceptive jab has been shown to be “almost” as effective as the female pill and better than condoms. It would work by lowering sperm count and it wouldn’t have to remain as a jab – it could be a gel or a pill. The trial had to be halted because of side-effects (acne, depression, increased libido). If some women rolled their eyes at this point, who could blame them? Since the introduction of the female pill, the wide range of side-effects has always seemed less an invitation to decline the chemicals, more a shrugging warning about what to expect.