Contraception - past and future

Modern contraceptive methods have a surprisingly short history and are dominated by the oral contraceptive pill, which came on to the market in 1960. New developments since the advent of the pill have been largely limited to tinkering with the contents and routes of administration of hormonal contraception. The knowledge that would allow a more exciting approach to new contraceptives does exist but the will to proceed is hampered by financial, political and moral factors, and perhaps ironically by the AIDS epidemic.