New Contraceptive Choices, a report by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health published in 2005, makes for a lively, informed, and, at thirty-nine pages, lengthy read, yet even this esteemed document offers up many contraceptives that still fall into the "more of same" category--three new rings, one new patch, three new implants, two new injectables, and so on.
However, a couple of options in the pipeline did catch our eye:
Spray-On Contraceptives. A quick-drying spray of the progestin Nestorone, which the report says is appropriate for breastfeeding women. Like oral contraceptives, spray-ons are to be used daily--along, perhaps, with your morning swipe of Soft N Dry?
Transcervical sterilization. Bye-bye having your "tubes tied." Rather than tubal ligation, new non-surgical transcervical procedures reach the fallopian tubes through the vagina and uterus, and include the use of chemicals, such as quinacrine; plugs, such as the Adiana procedure; and micro-coils like Essure, a spring-like device implanted in each Fallopian tube that causes scar tissue to block the passage of eggs. Ew.
Male Hormonal Contraceptive. Yes, the fabled male pill. As the report dryly notes, "Hormonal contraception for men has been in clinical stages of development for almost two decades." This approach works by using testosterone or a combination of testosterone and a progestin to suppress sperm production. Pills, patches, injections, and implants have all been tested; in clinical trials, injections appeared to be most effective. Due on the market in China in 2006 and in other countries "several years later."
Fertility awareness. …and the last shall be first? Fertility awareness, the birth control method probably used by Adam and Eve when they realized they had to knock off having sex and start clothing and feeding themselves, is chem-free, one-hundred percent reversible and, up until now, something of a bitch to adhere to. Two new fertility awareness approaches--the Standard Days Method and the TwoDay Method--aim to simplify older methods and make it easier to track the woman's fertile days. Our favorite accessory--a cute string of colored beads that helps remind couples when to avoid having sex. Hey, if it doesn't work for family planning, you can always use it as a teething toy.
