Recently a study came out in which men's birth control finally made it into the human experiment phase, a huge step since this had never happened before. But, it was pulled for side effects. 20 out of the 340 men dropped out for mood related side effects. After the suicide of one participant, later ruled unrelated but still cause for concern, the study discontinued taking new patients.

Now before girls start laughing because this has been going on for years (and only recently acknowledged) it was the ethics committee that pulled this. 75% of men who participated said they would go through this again. Seeing that it was a shot and I hate needles that is more than I can say, so props to anyone of any gender who willingly gets a shot. But more importantly, that means that this can totally go forward. Maybe it was a dosage issue, needs to be a daily pill instead of a bimonthly shot, literally a million things could change the outcome. But I think there is a deeper problem this study really exemplifies: the inequality between men and women in our drugs.

For those of you who do not know, hormonal contraception has a whole host of problems including but not limited to: headaches, acne, nausea, vomiting, breast tenderness, spotting, decreased libido, vaginal dryness, weight gain, vaginal discharge, and mood changes. Not to mention it can raise your blood pressure, especially for women over 35, and cause blood clots, leading to heart attacks or strokes. Not to mention that a Denmark study found that hormonal birth control is linked with an increased risk in depression, a risk that only increased over time. Comparing the studies the fact that side effects were too severe when less than 1% of men had depression while 2-3% of females did it makes you wonder how fair these drugs are. Who knows what other impacts it has on mental health since for so many years any changes would be summed up to women being moody.

This problem is not just birth control but every drug I put in my body. Most drug study participants are men because they are easier to test since their hormones do not fluctuate. Meaning as a woman, every single drug I put in my body could have a different reaction and I could need a different dosage. Birth control is just the tip of the iceberg in the inequality which women face when it comes to pharmaceuticals. In fact, contraception is pretty much the only drug we can be guaranteed to be tested on women.

Even with testing on women the data we have comes from murky places. The initial test was done to poor women in Puerto Rico who did not know what drug they were taking. Then the scientist decided that the contraceptive benefits were worth the risk. For decades after that any complaints of moodiness were thrown out, being summed up to just women being moody. Who knows how many side effects have been thrown out and are just now coming to light. If these same side effects were found today there is a strong possibility these drugs might have never hit the market.

The reality is they have hit the market and for women who want to go on birth control for many reasons they have some tough decisions to make. I know I am stuck between a rock and a hard place. The pill controls my period nausea which gets so bad I often cannot function for a day or two during my period. My only current side effect is worse acne but that is livable. But I have a family history of heart disease and high blood pressure so that is something to monitor. I also have anxiety, along with a family history of depression so the new study is a huge concern to me. Other hormonal methods carry the same risk. A non-hormonal IUD is unbelievably effective. But it would make cramps, something I already struggle with worse and my hormones would fluctuate again meaning I would get nausea. So do I raise my risk for high blood pressure and depression or make it so I might not be able to function on my period? I have made the decision with my doctor and I'm fortune to have a boyfriend which will support my decisions and is willing to talk about them with me. But both options are terrible in their own way. It's not just me, every women has to make these decisions and every women I know who has been on birth control has had side effects. Some are like mine and just mild acne, some are pretty severe to the point they have trouble functioning.

So what do we do about this inequality in both pharmaceuticals and birth control? Let's start with talking. Let's have an honest conversation about birth control with our wives, daughters, girlfriends, boyfriends, hook ups. Let's talk about the inequality in our drug system and put pressure on researchers to do something about it. Let's revise old drugs and fairly test new ones. Let's open up the conversation around birth control to include men, since it does impact their futures and sexual health too. Let's stop pretending that birth control is a women's issue and start focusing as reproductive rights as what they really are, a human issue.