TL;DR
For as long as modern birth control has existed, the pills, shots and implants have nearly all been for women. That is starting to change. A daily gel for men has finished a mid-stage trial in 462 couples and is lining up a final-stage trial of about 1,000 people. A non-hormonal pill, plugs injected into the sperm ducts, and a pill meant to be taken about half an hour before sex are all moving through the pipeline. On the other side of the same science, a once-weekly pill meant to raise sperm counts in infertile men may finish its trial within weeks. The World Health Organization says a reversible male method could reach market in roughly 5 to 10 years. If it does, the job of preventing pregnancy could finally be shared, and men with low sperm counts could get the first pill made for them.
Below the line, for paid subscribers: The full story: where it stands, how we got here and what's dated next; our Odds board on 6 milestones, starting with "Results of ReproNovo's leflutrozole Phase 2 for low sperm count are made public by 2027"; and every source.