In the 50-plus years since the pill was introduced, birth control options have exploded. What's next?
From your teen years leading up to menopause, you may mull over, experiment with, and switch to a number of different birth control methods — the pill, the patch, an IUD.
But will your daughter or granddaughter be mulling over the same options you did at her age? Probably not. Birth control is a big business (a $4 billion business, according to Linda D. Bradley, MD, vice chairwoman of obstetrics and gynecology at the Women’s Health Institute at the Cleveland Clinic) — and that means the dozens of current birth control choices will only continue to grow and improve.
Today, women have more options than ever before — but here’s a look at what may be available in the years to come.
Contraceptive gel.
The Population Council (an international nonprofit organization conducting the research on the gel), found that it is effective in preventing ovulation and plans to examine if it effectively prevents pregnancy. If the research goes smoothly, the gel could be on the market by about 2015, says Bradley.
An annual contraceptive ring.
Better intrauterine devices.
A single, intravaginal dose of emergency contraception.
But researchers are also studying a hormonal vaginal gel that could prevent ovulation and potentially prevent pregnancy when you insert a single dose into the vagina. Among 24 women who were enrolled in one study, the drug effectively interfered with ovulation.
Birth control for men.
Researchers in India are studying non-hormonal contraceptive injection called RISUG for men that’s showing promise. The Population Council is also researching reversible nonhormonal contraception for men that could involve using a nasal spray, gel, implant, or patch.
Preliminary studies of another form of male contraception, called MENT, have shown that using an implant gel or patch containing a synthetic steroid for a year may inhibit the production of sperm.
From Pipeline to Pharmacy: The Future of Birth Control
It takes several years for researchers to determine how effective and safe medications are, Bradley says. Even when there is news about a certain drug being developed, it can still fall through in different phases of testing.
While you can certainly keep your eye out for new and improved contraceptive options, in the meantime you’ll need to stick with your tried-and-true birth control method.