This year marks the 50th anniversary of the birth control pill, introduced in 1960 to both cheers and controversy. While hardly a foolproof method of preventing unwanted pregnancy, the pill is still a highly popular method of birth control, with 89% of women and 83% of men saying they approve of what the contraceptive has done for society.
The controversy continues as recent studies have shown the birth control pill may limit sexual desire in women. Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD) has been linked to hormonal contraceptives, while women taking non-hormonal contraceptives showed to have lower risk for FSD than those women not taking any contraceptives at all. Many of these women experiencing low libido are under 30.
For men, testing is still underway to develop a hormonal birth control method to reduce sperm count, but researchers are hopeful that a male birth control pill will be on the market in 5 to 7 years. If that pill lowers men’s libido, there’s always Viagra—and now, there’s also a pill for men experiencing heightened libido, introduced in Europe to cure premature ejaculation.