There are more unplanned pregnancies in countries where men hold greater power in society, likely because women don’t have a say in how many children they have.

A male birth control pill passed tests of safety and tolerability when healthy men used it daily for a month, and it produced hormone responses consistent with effective contraception, according to researchers at two institutions testing the drug. In a 2019 study from KwaZulu-Natal about men’s attitudes towards family planning, health workers said that including them in the conversation could help to empower women. “It [family planning] ends up being a feminine thing, yet it’s not supposed to be; it’s a family thing,”

Family planning - we are speaking about male contraceptives 

Suggested Questions:

• Male sexual health is not often talked about in comparison to female sexual health - why is this?

• Usually women take the lead when it comes to contraception - but now men can too - what are the options for men in this case?
• What would your advice be to men when it comes to their sexual health and wellbeing?
• What are the biggest “threats” to their sexual health?

Guest on the line: Dr Nomacete Tshume from Kena Health