Explained: A Brief History of Birth Control

According to the National Family Health Survey 4 (NFHS 2015-16), 1 in 5 men believes it is only the women¡¯s responsibility to avoid getting pregnant. The unequal burden of birth control on women stems from societal conditioning and has long been embedded in medicine.

Time and again, many papers have been published that highlighted the patriarchal practices in medicine too. Arianne Shahvisi writes, ¡°Gendered inequalities in healthcare are also widely reported in clinical encounters, as physicians make assumptions about women¡¯s health based on gender stereotypes about pain thresholds and patient credibility while drawing on male-centered research and guidelines.¡±

This bias seeped into the invention of birth control options, whose burden was thus majorly put on women. Patriarchal practices have been hands in gloves with medicines from the very first stage of the invention of birth control options to releasing it in the market.

AFP/Representational Image

The invention of Birth Control Pills

Scientifically and socially, the promotion of contraception use throughout history has primarily focused on the methods women can use. In the case of non-invasive methods, contraceptive pills top the list, and following is the Intrauterine Contraceptive Device (IUD).

Birth Control Pills, commonly known as oral contraceptive pills, contain synthetic hormones to stop ovulation. As a result of which, the egg does not get released. In this case, the process of fertilization does not happen. However, these pills come with side effects, such as nausea, headaches, weight gain, acne, and loss of libido, to name a few. Often the higher dose of synthetic hormones causes blood clots.

Unsplash/Representational Image

Before these pulls were released in the market, they were tested on women ¨C a common practice in medicine. However, consent is taken from the participants before performing any such experiments.

In this case, though, consent was never questioned in the human trials. Mostly Hispanic women, mostly from the lower class, unaware of any such thing, underwent the trials. The US government in the 1960s started a population control campaign in developing countries, allowing the gateway for testing these pills.

Initially, the pills worked wonders, but soon these women started facing side effects. For some, these were life-threatening. It was found that the dosage of hormones was ten times more than the required limit. The side effects included heart attacks, strokes, and even cancer ¨C the case was covered by Barbara Seaman, who documented these incidents.

Even after receiving enough attention, it took ten years for the US government to hear the case. For the same, an all-male panel invited men to testify on the issue. As a result, women invited themselves to the hearing. Important questions on ethics for using women as guinea pigs were raised. This finally led to a lower dose of hormonal pills, which was released in 1980. However, the side effects still exist.

The case was worse for women of color and black women. Assumptions on their characters were preconceived in the healthcare sector. One of the accounts is of Loretta Ross- a black woman, who had the IUD known as the Dalkon Shield inserted in her.

Ross soon developed an infection and was discriminated against by the OB/GYN, who assumed she had an STI because she was a black woman. Only when she lapsed into a coma and opened her eyes in a hospital did she realize that the Dalkon Shield had a design flaw working as a ladder for bacteria to climb into the uterus.

The shield was pulled out of the market in 1975, within four years of its release. However, by then, almost 3.3 million women had used it. In the hearing, it was found out that the makers knew about the flaw six months before the release and continued with the release, putting women's lives at great risk.

BCCL/Representational Image

Birth Control Options for Men

For men, the only non-invasive option is the use of a condom. However, that, too, does not guarantee 100% success. However, there have been debates around the need for male contraception pills. Even in 1979, the Chinese had declared a safe and effective birth control pill for men. This continued till the 21st century. However, the pill never appeared in the market.

The pills were dismissed on the grounds that they caused severe side effects to men, including headaches, acne, and loss of libido, to name a few. These side effects are similar to the ones women undergo while on contraceptive pills. Yet, male birth contraceptive pills are yet to boom on the market and balance the burden of family birth control.