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From the research paper:

>Search was conducted in three databases (PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science). Only studies evaluating hormonal contraception use were considered eligible, and both objective and subjective sleep-related outcomes were considered. Individual effect size was calculated for each article, and meta-analyses were performed using a DerSimonian and Laird random effects method. The initial search identified 2076 articles, of which 13 met the criteria for the study after full text evaluation. A total of 33 meta-analyses were performed, three of them related to subjective measures and 30 considering data from polysomnography. The only statistically significant result between contraceptive users and non-contraceptive users was observed in respect of wake after sleep onset, which was 7 min shorter among contraceptive users (−7.12 [−12.80; −1.44]; I2 = 65%; p = 0.01). In conclusion, hormonal contraceptives are not associated with clinically relevant changes in sleep patterns in women.

Asking from a non-scientific point of view, why should any woman have to suffer having their hormones messed with, when the guy can just make sure to wear a condom each time? Seems like disproportionate effort towards contraception for women vs. for men.

I absolutely agree that the effort (and unfortunately the responsibility) for contraception is disproportionately assigned to women. I think many people dislike the loss of sensation condoms cause, but there are other issues; you have to have them with you, they can be expensive, their availability in certain areas can be inconsistent, some people (especially younger people, I imagine) are embarrassed to buy them, they can fit poorly, slip off, break, etc.

Hormonal contraception is "easier" in many ways.

I also want to note that I'm not ignoring STI prevention--that's just a different topic.

Also, even if your on birth control you'd still want to use a condom anyways for STD reasons in many cases.

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I have a non-sexual answer for you.

Some women have longer periods, like all month.

Some women have debilitating period cramps, like you can’t physically move.

Some women get extreme nausea and can’t eat when on their periods.

Some women get extreme acne breakouts for their entire cycle.

Birth Control helps to control all of these things.

Speaking from experience, I went off my BC for a month 3 months ago and it was my own personal hell physically.

I’ve been taking it since I was 16 and I can’t imagine what my life would have been like without it.

The effectiveness of hormonal contraception is significantly higher when compared to condoms [1, 2, 3]. For every 100 couples who use exclusively condoms as their contraception method, 18 of them will have an unintended pregnancy yearly [3].

If you are concerned with using hormonal contraceptives and are searching for a non-hormonal method with a very high rate of effectiveness, I suggest asking your doctor about getting a non-hormonal IUD. A non-hormonal IUD is more effective than oral contraceptives and has absolutely no hormones [2].

Even when hormonal contraception is used, you should always use a condom as well to prevent STD transmission [3].

For your reference:

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, November 1). Contraception. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved December 31, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/contraception/index.htm
2. Jones, R. E., & Lopez, K. H. (2014). Contraception. In Human reproductive biology (4th ed., pp. 245–269). essay, Elsevier.
3. https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/unintendedpregnancy/pdf/family-planning-methods-2014.pdf

>when the guy can just make sure to wear a condom each time

Doing both is the most effective. However, I do think, in a long-term relationship, when a couple is done having children/decides they definitely don't want to have children, the guy should look into a vasectomy.

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This is a really privileged question. Go back to when the pill was released and you will see why women celebrated. We could finally take control of our own fertility instead of relying on someone else.

It's the same reason many men want a male birth control pill. They want to be able to ensure extra protection without relying on someone else to do the right thing.

My husband and I were approaching 40 and had 2 children. While I would have loved a third, he just did not want a larger family so I respected that and asked him to get a vasectomy. He refused and I respected his bodily autonomy and didn’t fight it. I did tell him “well that’s fine for me because I would love a third child so I’m not getting on birth control and you will need to be responsible for condoms”. He enthusiastically agreed.

Aaaaaaand that’s the story of how I ended up giving birth to my third child at 40.

I can't tell you how many times I've heard the phrase, "she told me she was on the pill!" ...but I can say that it has been more times than it should have ever been said. Hopefully we'll soon have preventive measures for both sexes.

I see, that makes sense. I just remember learning about all the luteinizing hormone / progesterone stuff in biology class. It seemed to me they’re an impressive bunch of important hormones balancing each other in cycles, so I was thinking, damn, birth control is pretty harsh if it just stops all this.

I see. This is eye opening stuff, I never knew this.

I don’t disagree that there should be more options for men, but it doesn’t “mess with” your hormones. This type of statement comes from the archaic idea that birth control is bad for us and damages our body, which is the same argument they made many decades ago (when they just didn’t want women having premarital sex… and also BC was a lot less safe back then)

I used to get cramps so bad I would lay on my bathroom floor and cry in between puking. Been on birth control most of my life now and although I worry about the negative side effects, I refuse to go back to that life. Periods are literally one quarter of a woman's life until menopause, and I don't want to be miserable for a quarter of my life. Also don't want children and condoms break/men are unreliable.

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This is what people believed back when it was first marketed to the public. It’s part of why it was so taboo, and it’s also why they introduced a placebo week, or a “mock” period. It’s because people were not welcoming to the idea of a drug that could stop all of that

Also, in many cultures, there is a lot of pseudo science or lore around periods, or this belief that periods release “toxins.” So to them, stopping your period could be seen as a bad thing

The reality is that all the pill is, is hormones. Your reproductive organs only produce an egg, or endometrial lining, or release the lining, in response to hormones. Birth control pills (monophasic pills, anyway) is just a combination of hormones that mimic a stage in your cycle where you won’t release an egg, won’t produce lining for a fertilized egg to stick to, cervical mucous won’t be welcoming to sperm. That’s all it’s doing, responding to hormones as it normally would

Many people do not recognize these non-contraceptive benefits of hormonal birth control. Even though our daughter had relatively normal menstrual cycles, we encouraged her to start taking the mini pill around 15. Helped clear up her acne and she skips her periods allowing her to compete in sports without interruptions. No significant side effects that can be seen, especially when you compare it to mensuration symptoms. It should really be rebranded as some sort of female hormonal therapy.

Birth control offers more than just contraceptive. I’ve been on birth control since I was 15 or 16 and was a kissless Virgin with no chance of pregnancy. I stayed on it when I was in a same sex relationship. It helps control my endometriosis. Because of birth control, I no longer bleed through a super tampon in an hour and I can actually go to work during my period because my cramps are greatly reduced. The one I’m on now stops my period almost entirely. I went 11 months without one. People also use it for things like acne, hormonal imbalances, PPMD, etc.

But birth control responsibility generally does end up on the woman. It could be because we have more options. Men have condoms and vasectomies. Women have pills, shots, patches, implants, the ring, spermicide, etc. I also don’t mind being responsible because I am the one who ends up pregnant. I don’t want to be so I take it into my own hands and make sure I’m covered on my part. I know I’m taking my birth control responsibly. If I relied on a male partner, I wouldn’t know for sure whether the condom is fully in tact, not expired, or maybe even stays on the whole time.

Each partner needs to take responsibility for themselves. If you’re with a new partner and she says she’s on birth control, wrap it anyways. If he says he wants to use condoms, provide your own or have a back up method. In a committed relationship, talk it out and see what works best for you. Maybe it’s hormonal birth control. Maybe it’s condoms. Maybe it’s sterilization. Communication is key

Did he ever get that vasectomy?

I think often when we ask this question it is not about women who need it for non-contraceptive reasons.

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I mean I would say it messed with my hormones if anyone asked me (but that could be me conflating the way I felt emotionally with an actual hormone response). I was a very emotional and very angry wreck during my time on the pill (4 years). Like there was this weird underlying rage that I had, all the time. But maybe a different method would have worked better for me. After my mess of a time on the pill I wasn’t keen on trying a different hormonal method and I’m with a long term partner so I’ve been sticking with condoms. Of course that’s my anecdotal example. I know plenty of other women did completely fine with it.

I’m honestly shocked that more men don’t do this.