New Male Contraceptives Could Reach the Market Within 5–10 years, WHO says

Men could have several new contraceptive options within the next decade, according to the World Health Organization, which this week published an update to its contraception guidance.

Men currently have relatively few contraceptive methods under their control: principally condoms, withdrawal and vasectomy.

Around 30% of couples worldwide rely on one of those male-controlled methods, WHO said.

Now the organisation is signalling that the range of male options could eventually widen, backing new research aimed at giving men more control over family planning, while also loosening the rules around several contraceptive methods women already use.

Why WHO is acting now

An estimated 164 million women who want to delay or avoid pregnancy are currently not using any form of contraception, WHO said in the new publication, titled "WHO guidelines on expanding contraceptive options."

WHO says part of the problem is that existing options don't fit everyone's life, health needs, or comfort level.

"Contraception isn't one-size-fits-all," said Pascale Allotey, director of WHO's department of sexual, reproductive, maternal, child and adolescent health and ageing, in comments carried in the release.

She said the two sexes need a range of methods "that reflect what science and innovation can now offer, weighed against convenience, invasiveness, behaviour, reliability and accessibility," adding that real choice means "the confidence and control to choose a method, change it, or stop it."

What changes for methods already in use

The guidelines don't only look to the future; they also change how some existing methods can be used starting now.

WHO now recommends that combined oral contraceptive pills, taken by millions of women worldwide, can be taken for extended periods of up to six months, or continuously for up to a year, as alternatives to cyclical use.

WHO also now backs using contraceptive implants (small rods inserted under the skin that release hormones) for up to five years, which could mean fewer trips back to a clinic for replacement and lower costs over time for women who choose them.

On emergency contraception, WHO added mifepristone as a new option, to be taken as soon as possible and within five days of unprotected sex.

The evidence reviewed by WHO shows the drug, at doses of 10 to 50 milligrams, is likely to be as safe and effective as other emergency contraceptive methods already in use.

WHO was equally clear about where the evidence isn't strong enough yet.

It called for more research into ormeloxifene, a contraceptive pill, before it is added to national family planning programmes, citing limited safety data.

It went further on quinestrol-containing pills, recommending against adding them to national contraceptive programmes, pointing to limited evidence and reports of serious adverse events.

Both recommendations illustrate that WHO's new guidance distinguishes between methods backed by sufficient evidence and those where the evidence remains limited.

The bigger story: building contraception for men

The most striking part of the update centres on men.

WHO says new research challenges a longstanding assumption in the field: that men would not use new contraceptives even if they existed.

That conclusion is drawn from a WHO-linked study surveying men and their female partners across four low- and middle-income countries (Colombia, Ghana, Morocco and Togo), published in the journal Contraception.

WHO's release reports that more than 75% of couples surveyed said they would be willing to use a new male contraceptive method, and more than 85% of women said they would trust a male partner to take responsibility for contraception.

Those figures describe stated willingness in a survey, not proof that men will actually adopt a product once one exists, since attitudes and real-world behaviour don't always move together, but they are the kind of signal that shapes whether drug developers see a market worth investing in.

To turn that signal into products, WHO has drawn up its first Target Product Profiles for novel male contraceptive methods: essentially a technical framework outlining the characteristics researchers, funders and developers should aim for on safety, effectiveness, acceptability and affordability.

It is a planning framework, not a drug, designed to give the field clearer direction.

WHO says several hormonal and non-hormonal male methods are already being studied, with some candidates in advanced clinical trials.

On that basis, the organisation suggests new reversible male contraceptives may reach the market within the next five to ten years.

That timeline is a projection from WHO, not a promise.

WHO's estimate does not guarantee that any particular candidate will reach consumers on that schedule.

What it would mean if it happens

If a reversible male method does reach the market within that window, it would expand the contraceptive options currently available to men beyond condoms, withdrawal and vasectomy.

For now, though, the guidance that takes effect immediately is the one for existing methods: longer-use pills, five-year implants, and a new emergency contraception option covered by the new WHO guidance.

Source: World Health Organization, news release, 23 September 2026. Survey findings: "Socio-behavioral factors linked to willingness to use new male contraceptives: a cross-sectional survey of men and female partners across four low- and middle-income countries," Contraception (journal).