Male birth control pill deemed safe, but Gee says men wouldn’t take it
Aug 9, 2025, 5:00 AM
Male birth control is progressing.
The first of its kind, a hormone-free male birth control pill, has been deemed safe for humans, Scientific American reported last month.
But the question is, would men take it, and could they be trusted to take it?
“Hell no, you better not trust men for no birth control,” KIRO host Gee Scott answered on “The Gee and Ursula Show.” “This is not happening,”
KIRO host Ursula Reutin said she would encourage her sons to take the pill.
The pill, called YCT-529, stops sperm production by blocking a vitamin A metabolite.
Gee said men wouldn’t take the pill over a fear of side effects, adding that one viral social media post about a bad reaction could scare others away.
While researchers have not reported any adverse side effects, Stephanie Page, an endocrinologist at the University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine, told Scientific American that there are side effects with every medication, and one trial is not enough to rule them out.
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Page also mentioned researchers just completed a longer trial of NES/T — a daily gel applied to the shoulders that targets sperm production.
“I’m going to bring back my sons,” Ursula chimed in. “And you know what I’ve told them. ‘If you are going to be intimate with somebody and you are not going to take the protection, or be in charge or make sure that there is protection, you better be ready to have the responsibility to have a child and have responsibility for at least the next 18 years, at least.'”
While Gee doubted the popularity of the pill, data showed men are eager to try a new contraceptive, according to Scientific American.
“Men are very eager to have more reproductive agency and to participate in contraception,” Page told the magazine.
Listen to the full conversation below.
Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.
