For decades, reproductive health innovation globally has overwhelmingly focused on female biology, while male contraceptive options have remained limited to condoms and vasectomy. This imbalance isn’t because researchers lack targets to develop, and it isn’t because people don’t want it…it’s primarily because male contraceptive development has been chronically underfunded. Now, the field of contraceptive development and reproductive health is in a challenging new phase–with the already modest amount of funding available subjected to even wider cuts.
This raises the question: how can recent advancements in male contraception contribute to reproductive autonomy for both men and women?
A History of Unequal Investment
It is difficult to quantify the total investment in female contraceptives since the introduction of the pill in the 1960s but the current market for female contraception is estimated to be valued at ~23 billion USD. We can discern that in the past decade, male contraceptive R&D has had a fraction of the investment that female contraception has, despite the potential for high uptake globally. One contributing factor to this funding gap is the fact that contraceptive R&D has been funded almost exclusively by the philanthropic and public sectors over the past decades. While generous, these funds can only go so far without additional support from the pharmaceutical industry. This has, understandably, led to the prioritization of supporting female contraceptive product development given that women bear the burden of an unintended pregnancy. However, it has also led to a disregard for the role that male partners can play in contraception in support of their partners and for their own reproductive autonomy.The charts below, courtesy of Impact Global Health’s GFinder portal, illustrate that, historically, the US has been a major funder of contraceptive development (table 1) and further how the majority of that funding has focused on female methods (table 2). This was already a problematic inequity, but with the recent reductions in US funding for many areas of research, and for international development and family planning programs, the entire field of contraceptive development is at risk. 
Even today, despite growing interest as demonstrated by a multi-country assessment, the annual global funding for male contraceptive research remains minuscule compared to female-focused options; an issue that will only be further exacerbated by projected changes due to recent funding reductions. While MCI is proud to be the second largest funder of male contraception in the world (with the US National Institutes of Health being the largest), our funding capacity (while dedicated) is limited to an average of about $1.5 million per year — far less than what is required to support expensive clinical-stage studies. The result of the historical underfunding? After more than half a century of progress in reproductive health, men are still limited to two choices:- Condoms, a single-use barrier method that fails about 13% of the time with typical use, and about which many have concerns related to sensation.
- Vasectomy, a highly effective surgical procedure that, while potentially reversible, is meant to be permanent.
Several factors explain this gap:- Perceived Market Doubts: Funders and pharmaceutical companies have historically questioned whether men would willingly take responsibility for birth control, ignoring research that consistently shows strong interest.
- Cultural Norms: For decades, contraception has been framed as “women’s responsibility,” creating a cycle where funding follows entrenched expectations. Again–we now know that men AND women do want more male options.
- Risk-Averse Pharma: Developing new drugs is expensive, the regulatory pathway for male contraceptives is not clearly defined, and many companies hesitate to invest in products that challenge social norms or lack clear precedent.
An Unprecedent Funding Landscape A year or so ago, the “funding gap” would have been the whole story. But since January 2025, the United States has slashed funding of international family planning programs, and there is concern about similar effects in the US due to cuts to healthcare access and research. With the Dobbs decision already affecting the landscape for reproductive care access in the US, the cuts and policy changes have also made research in general, and specifically in sexual and reproductive health, underfunded and challenging. Now, in addition to all the existing challenges related to male contraception, we have roadblocks related to all contraceptive development. We need to support existing and better methods of contraception across the board, but in addition, supporting new methods of male contraception can help fill the gaps we will increasingly encounter with female contraception. What We’re Missing Out OnResearch pipelines already include promising male options: Nonhormonal options, including vas-occlusive devices like ADAM and Plan A, pharmaceutical products like YCT529 and Sacyl, thermal methods, and a hormonal gel, NES/T, are all moving through the development pipeline, in addition to other, earlier stage methods. These methods would allow men to prevent pregnancies, either with or without female partners also contracepting. Modeling efforts estimate that introducing more methods of male contraception could decrease unintended pregnancies by as much as 38% with even a modest 10% uptake by interested men. Many of these methods, like NES/T, YCT529, and ADAM, have shown strong results in early trials, and others are about to move into trials, but progress will stall if studies can’t secure the funding needed to move into larger-scale testing.
Male contraception could revolutionize family planning. By broadening options, we could:- Share responsibility more equitably between partners.
- Reduce unintended pregnancies, which remain high globally, at about 48%.
- Provide men with more agency over their reproductive futures.
- Help fill the ongoing and worsening female contraception gaps.
A Call for Investment
Underfunded male contraceptive research isn’t just a medical or gender issue. As long as contraceptive funding, male and otherwise, is limited, women will continue to bear the disproportionate physical, financial, and emotional costs of contraception, and men will continue to face a lack of reproductive autonomy. Advocates, researchers, and policymakers are working towards making more methods available and advocating for societal acceptability. Based on current trajectory, male methods could be on the market in the next 5-10 years–but only if we keep pushing the field forward.The science is ready, the interest exists, but funding hasn’t caught up. Until it does, men will remain stuck with few contraceptive options and none that are long-term and reversible. Women, in our current reproductive landscape, will continue facing access challenges, a lack of innovation, and higher unintended pregnancy rates.
This World Contraception Day, join us in advocating for increased contraceptive funding, friendlier policies, and reproductive autonomy for all.
This article was partly written with the assistance of Chatgpt.
It is difficult to quantify the total investment in female contraceptives since the introduction of the pill in the 1960s but the current market for female contraception is estimated to be valued at ~23 billion USD. We can discern that in the past decade, male contraceptive R&D has had a fraction of the investment that female contraception has, despite the potential for high uptake globally. One contributing factor to this funding gap is the fact that contraceptive R&D has been funded almost exclusively by the philanthropic and public sectors over the past decades. While generous, these funds can only go so far without additional support from the pharmaceutical industry. This has, understandably, led to the prioritization of supporting female contraceptive product development given that women bear the burden of an unintended pregnancy. However, it has also led to a disregard for the role that male partners can play in contraception in support of their partners and for their own reproductive autonomy.
The charts below, courtesy of Impact Global Health’s GFinder portal, illustrate that, historically, the US has been a major funder of contraceptive development (table 1) and further how the majority of that funding has focused on female methods (table 2). This was already a problematic inequity, but with the recent reductions in US funding for many areas of research, and for international development and family planning programs, the entire field of contraceptive development is at risk.
The result of the historical underfunding? After more than half a century of progress in reproductive health, men are still limited to two choices:
- Condoms, a single-use barrier method that fails about 13% of the time with typical use, and about which many have concerns related to sensation.
- Vasectomy, a highly effective surgical procedure that, while potentially reversible, is meant to be permanent.
Several factors explain this gap:- Perceived Market Doubts: Funders and pharmaceutical companies have historically questioned whether men would willingly take responsibility for birth control, ignoring research that consistently shows strong interest.
- Cultural Norms: For decades, contraception has been framed as “women’s responsibility,” creating a cycle where funding follows entrenched expectations. Again–we now know that men AND women do want more male options.
- Risk-Averse Pharma: Developing new drugs is expensive, the regulatory pathway for male contraceptives is not clearly defined, and many companies hesitate to invest in products that challenge social norms or lack clear precedent.
An Unprecedent Funding LandscapeA year or so ago, the “funding gap” would have been the whole story.
But since January 2025, the United States has slashed funding of international family planning programs, and there is concern about similar effects in the US due to cuts to healthcare access and research.
With the Dobbs decision already affecting the landscape for reproductive care access in the US, the cuts and policy changes have also made research in general, and specifically in sexual and reproductive health, underfunded and challenging.
Now, in addition to all the existing challenges related to male contraception, we have roadblocks related to all contraceptive development. We need to support existing and better methods of contraception across the board, but in addition, supporting new methods of male contraception can help fill the gaps we will increasingly encounter with female contraception.
What We’re Missing Out On
Research pipelines already include promising male options: Nonhormonal options, including vas-occlusive devices like ADAM and Plan A, pharmaceutical products like YCT529 and Sacyl, thermal methods, and a hormonal gel, NES/T, are all moving through the development pipeline, in addition to other, earlier stage methods. These methods would allow men to prevent pregnancies, either with or without female partners also contracepting. Modeling efforts estimate that introducing more methods of male contraception could decrease unintended pregnancies by as much as 38% with even a modest 10% uptake by interested men.
Many of these methods, like NES/T, YCT529, and ADAM, have shown strong results in early trials, and others are about to move into trials, but progress will stall if studies can’t secure the funding needed to move into larger-scale testing.
Male contraception could revolutionize family planning. By broadening options, we could:
- Share responsibility more equitably between partners.
- Reduce unintended pregnancies, which remain high globally, at about 48%.
- Provide men with more agency over their reproductive futures.
- Help fill the ongoing and worsening female contraception gaps.
A Call for InvestmentUnderfunded male contraceptive research isn’t just a medical or gender issue. As long as contraceptive funding, male and otherwise, is limited, women will continue to bear the disproportionate physical, financial, and emotional costs of contraception, and men will continue to face a lack of reproductive autonomy.
Advocates, researchers, and policymakers are working towards making more methods available and advocating for societal acceptability. Based on current trajectory, male methods could be on the market in the next 5-10 years–but only if we keep pushing the field forward.
The science is ready, the interest exists, but funding hasn’t caught up. Until it does, men will remain stuck with few contraceptive options and none that are long-term and reversible. Women, in our current reproductive landscape, will continue facing access challenges, a lack of innovation, and higher unintended pregnancy rates.
This World Contraception Day, join us in advocating for increased contraceptive funding, friendlier policies, and reproductive autonomy for all.