A

SEX IN THE 1960s: THE MALE PILL

A Pill for Men?

As new methods of contraception developed during the 1960s, the time-honored method of male condom use decreased. Because new contraceptives were primarily for women, birth control became a feminine imperative and responsibility. This attitude was challenged by the development of an effective male birth-control pill. One social and one medical problem led to the abandonment of the technique.

Diamines

The male pill was developed from research on diamines, protein compounds to combat amoebic intestinal infections. During animal testing it was discovered that diamines arrested maturation of the sperm in males, making them sterile. Dr. Carl Heller of the Pacific Northwest Research Foundation decided to shift the focus of his research to contraception. He tested the diamines on thirty-nine male convicts at the Oregon State Penitentiary. By taking a pill daily, they stopped producing sperm, he found. There was no effect on libido (sex drive) or the ejaculation process. When the men stopped taking the pills, their sperm counts quickly re-turned to normal. The female birth control pill (Enovid) cost three to four dollars a month to manufacture, but the diamine male contraceptive cost under one dollar a month. Dr. Heller's elation at the discovery of a cheap, effective method of birth control was dampened when he extended his tests to men who were not in jail: he discovered that men taking diamines could not drink alcohol. During testing, one drinker became violently ill and had to be hospitalized.

Women's Reaction

There were some early efforts to test the drug further or modify it to eliminate the adverse alcohol reaction without affecting the birth-control properties, but such research generated little enthusiasm. Drug companies considering further research conducted market studies. Many realized that an effect of the sexual revolution was that women were increasingly willing to have sex outside of marriage as long as pregnancy could be avoided. These companies conducted a poll to question sexually active single women about their reaction to the male birth-control pill. Women said they would not trust a man who claimed he had taken his pil every day.