Better birth control options already exist, but we’re not allowed to have them

By Lux Alptraum - The Outline
September 13, 2018

“There’s no question that the existing modes of birth control don’t work for everyone, and creating new methods for people for whom hormonal methods and copper IUDs just aren’t an option is important. But if we want to make contraception available to everyone who’s interested in regulating their fertility, we’ll need to explore other areas of research as well. Innovations that retool existing methods to make them less time intensive to obtain and use, cheaper, and longer lasting are also incredibly important — especially as American conservatives ramp up their assault on reproductive rights.

Currently, the only reversible non-hormonal birth control methods available are the copper IUD (known in the U.S. as the Paragard) and barrier methods like condoms, diaphragms, and sponges; save for the condom, none of those methods are designed with people with penises at top of mind. Remedying that dearth of options by creating more non-hormonal contraceptive methods for women, ideally long acting, reversible options (known within the public health space as LARCs), and reversible contraceptive methods for men would undoubtedly seem like a priority.

And browsing through Calliope, a database of potential contraceptive methods currently being researched and developed, reveals a number of novel birth control options currently being explored. There’s a non-hormonal weekly pill that’s been in use in India since the early 1990s, and works by blocking estrogen receptors in the uterus. Non-hormonal vaginal rings are also under development: the Cornell vaginal ring would disrupt insemination by releasing ferrous gluconate, ascorbic acid, pharmalytes, boclysinated betulonic acid, and tenofovir into the vagina, while the OvaPrene is a one-size-fits-all silicone barrier that would simultaneously block the cervical opening and release spermicides (making it not unlike an extended wear diaphragm). There updates to the diaphragm that aim to make it simpler to use, as well as a number of variations on the non-hormonal IUD, some of which are already available in other countries, like the IntraUterine Ball (a string of small copper balls that form into a larger ball once inside the uterus). And despite the difficulties faced by that widely cited male hormonal contraception study, there are a plethora of potential male contraceptive methods, including a pill that would impair sperm motility, a male counterpart to the subdermal hormonal implant, and the much hyped Vasalgel, a polymer that can be injected into the vas deferens, where it would block sperm until being dissolved by a second injection at a later date.”

“While it’s similar in form and function to the NuvaRing, a single vaginal Annovera ring lasts a full year. NuvaRings must be refrigerated prior to use — an annoying detail for users who want to stock up on several months worth of rings. In contrast, Annovera is stored at room temperature. And although Annovera’s one year of use is significantly less than the multiple years provided by IUDs and implants, the device’s ability to be inserted and removed at will, without the assistance of a medical provider, is a significant improvement for many users. In theory, a person could acquire and get a full year’s birth control out of Annovera without ever going to a doctor’s office, using a telemedicine service to get approved for the prescription and self-inserting once it arrives through the mail, without any need to worry about ordering refills or figuring out storage for future months’ pill packs or rings. It’s an exciting possibility for someone whose schedule, home life, or physical limitations makes getting to the doctor difficult.”