What Are the Options for Male Birth Control?

Written by Madeline Laguaite
Medically Reviewed by Melinda Ratini, MS, DO on July 29, 2025
7 min read

Male birth control is a way to prevent unplanned pregnancy. When you think about birth control, you may think of the birth control pill for women. That’s because the responsibility of birth control is often placed on women instead of men. Although researchers are working on a birth control pill for men, it’s not a reality yet. Still, there are options. 

Male birth control methods include:

  • External condoms (male condoms)
  • Spermicide
  • Vasectomy
  • Outercourse (sexual activities that don’t involve penetration)
  • Pulling out

There are many reasons couples consider male birth control. For one thing, the pill isn’t foolproof. Or your partner may not be able to take the pill because of side effects. Or they may not use any forms of birth control.

Women also tend to bear most of the cost of birth control, and female methods tend to be costlier than those for men. If you want to play a more equal role, talk with your partner about the best way to do so. Using male birth control can empower couples to have more control over their health and family planning options.

The birth control options for men work similarly to those for women. Barrier methods like external condoms prevent pregnancy by blocking sperm from going inside the uterus. Other methods, such as vasectomies, prevent pregnancy by stopping sperm from coming out of the penis during ejaculation. Here’s a breakdown of how the most common male birth control methods work.

Condoms

If used correctly, condoms can work up to 98% of the time to prevent unplanned pregnancy. They also help protect you from sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as herpes and chlamydia. That’s not true for any other method.

But if you don’t wear condoms the right way every time you have sex, your chances for an accidental pregnancy can be surprisingly high. Some estimates put it at nearly 1 in 5.

To make sure your condom gets the job done:

Use onlylatex or polyurethane condoms that you’ve kept in a cool, dry place. Condoms made with lambskin or other materials may not protect against HIV and other viruses.

Avoid carrying condoms in your wallet, where heat and friction could damage them.

Check the expiration date on the wrapper to make sure the condom isn’t too old. Use lubricants that are water- or silicone-based. They’re less likely to break the condom than those with oil. Follow these steps when you put on and take off a condom:

  1. Place the condom on the head of your hard penis. Pinch out any air that may be trapped in the tip, and leave a little space there for your semen.
  2. Unroll the condom all the way to the base of your penis.
  3. If you’re uncircumcised, pull back your foreskin before you slide down the condom.
  4. When you finish having sex, grab the base of your penis and hold the condom in place while you pull out.
  5. Throw away the condom.

Spermicide

Spermicide is a chemical that prevents pregnancy by killing sperm so they can’t fertilize an egg. The only spermicide available in the U.S. is nonoxynol-9 (N-9). You can get it as a foam, jelly, tablet, cream, suppository, or dissolvable film. You can use spermicide by itself or combine it with other methods. It’s best to use the chemical with some devices designed to block sperm from fertilizing an egg, such as cervical caps and shields or condoms.

Spermicide doesn’t help prevent the transmission of STIs.

How to use spermicide

Different types of spermicides require different steps and timing, so follow the directions on the package carefully. Most types tell you to:

  • Insert the spermicide deep into the vagina.
  • Wait 10-15 minutes before you have sex.
  • Don’t wait any longer than 30-60 minutes to have sex.
  • Leave the spermicide in place for at least six hours after sex.

Spermicide condoms

These are regular condoms coated with N-9, which can also act as a lubricant. They’re an effective form of birth control but don’t have any benefit over condoms without spermicide.

There’s no evidence that spermicides cause birth defects, and spermicide condoms are safe to use when you’re pregnant.

But there are some downsides to this type of condom. Spermicide is known to lead to urinary tract infections (UTIs) in some women. And they may have a funny taste if you’re having oral sex.

Because spermicide condoms often cost more, expire sooner, and have potential for irritation, other types of condoms, such as those lubricated with silicone, are often a better choice. If you’re unsure, talk with your doctor.

Spermicide effectiveness

Although you can use spermicide alone, it works better when you combine it with a condom or diaphragm. Spermicide used alone is about 70%-80% effective.

Spermicide condoms prevent pregnancy 87% of the time with typical use. And when used perfectly (wearing them properly, putting them on before sex, storing them properly in a cool, dry place, etc.), they work 98% of the time.

Vasectomy

Vasectomy is also known as “male sterilization.” A surgeon cuts and seals off the tubes that your sperm pass through to reach your testicles. It’s the most effective birth control option for men. Only about 15 out of 10,000 couples get pregnant in the year after a man has the surgery.

After a vasectomy, it takes about three months for your semen to be sperm-free.

There are many benefits of vasectomies, including:

  • It’s simpler, cheaper, and works better than female sterilization.
  • You can go home the same day of the surgery.
  • It doesn’t change the way sex or ejaculation feels for you or your partner.
  • Your semen doesn’t look, smell, or feel any different.

The drawbacks include:

  • Vasectomy is pretty much permanent. You’ll likely never be able to have kids again. You can try to undo your vasectomy with another surgery, but this “reversal” doesn’t always work.
  • You’ll still need to wear a condom to protect against STIs.
  • As with any surgery, you have a small chance of swelling, bleeding, infections, and other complications. But they’re rare and usually not serious.

Outercourse

Outercourse includes all the different kinds of sex or foreplay that don’t involve your penis entering your partner’s vagina. Outercourse can mean:

As long as you keep your penis and semen away from your partner’s vaginal area, conception can’t happen. But the obvious downside is you can’t have penetrative, vaginal sex. Also, if you’re having oral or anal sex, you can still get an STI.

Withdrawal method (pulling out)

The withdrawal method is when you pull your penis out of the vagina before you ejaculate. Called “coitus interruptus” in Latin, withdrawal is one of the oldest and simplest forms of birth control. But it’s one of the least effective. 

The pull-out method has a few things going for it. It has no side effects and it costs nothing. And going bare doesn’t interfere with your sexual sensations.

But the method works only if you do it right. That means you need to pull out soon enough so no semen gets on or inside your partner’s vagina. You have to time it right and be quick enough. That can be hard to do, especially if you’re young and haven’t had much sex.

That’s why the pull-out method alone works just 78% of the time. So in a given year, 22 out of 100 couples who rely on it for birth control will end up with a pregnancy.

And the withdrawal method doesn’t protect you from STIs.

Male birth control pill

So far, there’s no male birth control pill on the market. But there are two types of birth control pills in the works: YCT-529 and dimethandrolone undecanoate. YCT-529 is a hormone-free male birth control pill that aims to stop your body from making sperm by targeting the vitamin A signaling that makes sperm production possible. 

Researchers studied the effects of this male birth control pill on animals. They found that in mice, after four weeks of use, it was 99% effective in preventing pregnancies. In primates, sperm counts dropped in just two weeks of use. Researchers also completed a phase 1 human study to test how safe and tolerable the drug is. Now, they’re recruiting participants for a phase 1B/2A study, but more research is needed before this drug can hit the market.

The other male birth control pill, dimethandrolone undecanoate (DMAU), may also be available as an injectable. This one is a hormonal birth control, meaning it impacts your male sex hormones, causing them to temporarily stop your body from making sperm.

In a phase 1 study, participants took DMAU for 28 days. But the participants weren’t relying on DMAU for birth control, so more research is needed. Even though a phase 2 trial is in the works, it’s not complete.

Male birth control is one of the ways to prevent unplanned pregnancy. There are many options for men, from condoms to spermicide to vasectomy. Although there are male birth control pills in development, they’re still in the testing phase. 

Below are some commonly asked questions about male birth control. 

Is male birth control expensive?

Male birth control is generally cheaper than birth control methods designed for women. For example, external (male) condoms cost around $0.50 to $1 each and internal (female) condoms cost around $2 to $4 each. Male sterilization costs up to about $1,300 while female sterilization costs up to around $6,000.

Can men take Plan B?

There’s no emergency contraception option for men. But it’s legal for men to purchase “the morning-after pill” for female partners. A person assigned male at birth shouldn’t take Plan B. If a man were to take an emergency contraception pill, it wouldn’t help prevent pregnancy.