The pill hasn’t been improved in years. No wonder women are giving up on it | Martha Gill

Prescriptions for the contraceptive pill in England dropped from 432,600 in 2014 to 188,500 in 2021 .

This month data from abortion clinics found that demand fuelled by women coming off the pill and using natural methods instead.

Many women are deeply dissatisfied with the contraceptives we have.

There is an expectation that women will put up with significant side-effects as contraceptives work, unhappiness is ignored.

Nevertheless, the arrival of better contraception for men could make things easier for their female partners who don’t like the options available. Innovations for men could also cross over into solutions for women, as the bar for safety and effectiveness is raised. There is the risk, too, that, as male contraceptives suck up airtime and funding, women’s will continue to fall behind: almost half of pregnancies around the world are unintended a high proportion of them in places where birth control is accessible. The need for change is urgent..