After taking birth control pills for no more than two months, Rosy Palko got her first blood clot.
“My whole leg was purple, couldn’t move, couldn’t bend it, really swollen,” said Palko.
She started taking birth control pills in November 2023 but soon ended the following February.
“Without it, I’m like free,” said Palko.
According to MyHealth Alberta, estrogen combined with hormonal birth control methods increases the risk of a blood clot in the leg. This is caused by deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which is exactly what Palko had.
While there has been over a century of birth control research, there is not a single option on the market for men.
Historically, women have shouldered the physical, social and primary childcare consequences of pregnancy. This gave women stronger motivation to seek birth control methods. A variety of biological and systemic factors contribute to this.
Birth control is far more complex for men because they produce millions of sperm each day while women produce about one egg per month.
The only widely accessible and reversible male contraceptive method available are condoms, which have a failure rate of 13 per cent.
Methods available for women like intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUDs) have a failure rate of just 1 per cent.
This disparity is not due to unwillingness from male counterparts. A 2022 survey published in the National Library of Medicine found that 75 per cent of men in Canada and the U.S. are willing to use other methods of contraception.
“I would definitely be open to it, for sure,” said Chris Noonan, a Durham College (DC) photography student.
“I think it’s unfortunate that it is just on women and guys don’t really understand how scary that can be,” said second-year electromechanical engineering student, Wil Ainsbury.
Out of 11 male DC students interviewed, ten said they would take a different method of male birth control. One said it depends on the circumstances. Many respondents needed the question to be reworded to answer.
One of them did not know what contraception meant.
Palko said, “If you don’t want to get pregnant, it should be both partners trying to work towards it.”
Oral birth control pills can cost up to $300 per year. More invasive yet more effective methods like IUDs can cost $500 per device.
Birth control coverage in Ontario is fully covered for individuals under the age of 25 through the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP). This plan covers methods like pills, IUDs and injections. For those over 25, coverage is limited.
“Definitely it would be somewhat of a financial burden depending on the woman’s financial state,” said Noonan, who is in his second year of the photography program.
According to the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC), only 40 per cent of the population in Ontario benefit from access to birth control products and medication.
“Sometimes women feel they have the burden, but it’s a choice, right? It’s up to you. Good to have it as a protection, whichever feels comfortable for the patient,” said DC’s campus pharmacy manager Olivia Ballesteros.
She said through the DC insurance plan, students can get up to 90 per cent coverage on prescription drugs.
“Most of the birth control pills–even the devices–are covered,” said Ballesteros.
Ultimately, access is not just about cost. Coverage alone does not guarantee informed use.
Students must navigate the risks themselves. Palko said she cried every single day after starting the pills, but nurses told her to wait six months for it to pass.
“They give you a big piece of paper of side effects,” said Palko, “read that, research it.”
Palko said if something pops up, go get it checked. Listen to the signs your body gives you and do not ignore pain.