Written by: Dayani Guevara, Cisneros Class of 2024
It’s hard to imagine a time when the contraceptive pill didn’t exist. Beyond preventing pregnancy, aiding many ailments like PMS symptoms and severe period cramping, the pill has become a way for many women to have more bodily autonomy and freedom. Without women having the ability to choose what is necessary for their bodies, the course of the 20th century would undoubtedly have been altered. The pill, as we know it today, wouldn’t have been possible without the contributions of Luis Miramontes, a prize-winning Mexican chemist.
Luis Miramontes was born in Tepic, a centrally-located city in the state of Nayarit, Mexico.
Growing up with an absentee father, he was raised by women, including his mother and his aunts. One particular aunt, María Dolores Cárdenas, a Mexican revolutionary who served in Pancho Villa’s army, took charge of his schooling and instilled in him the love of science. To foster his scientific aspirations, he attended the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) to study chemistry and chemical engineering. Luis’s skills quickly caught the eye of a Mexican pharmaceutical corporation called Syntex. Syntex invited Luis to complete his undergraduate thesis in their labs while giving him the opportunity to work with professional chemists such as Carl Djerassi and George Rosenkranz. At Syntex, Luis began working with the hormone progesterone, which, in preparation for pregnancy, causes uterine lining to thicken in order to accept a zygote. At this time, naturally-derived progesterone was already used as a contraceptive, though it was only partially effective through large dosed injections.
Syntex’s goal was to develop a synthetic form of progesterone that would not only make contraception more effective, but also more easily administered and widely available. Luis Miramontes worked tirelessly alongside Carl Djerassi and George Rosenkranz and soon saw his work come to fruition as he completed the final step in the creation of synthetic progesterone. After successful synthesization, Luis named the compound norethindrone which allowed for the pill to be 8 times more effective in pregnancy prevention while keeping its potency when taken orally. This advancement would allow for contraceptives to be almost 100% effective while making it easier for women to treat a multitude of ailments through the use of a small daily pill. In addition to women, it also impacts the life of trans and gender non-conforming people who might need the pill for many of the same issues. Although Luis did not invent the pill, his contribution was critical in its creation.
Unfortunately, Luis’ contributions to the contraceptive pill weren’t seen as positive in his home country of Mexico because of the traditional religious culture of the time.
However, his contributions resulted in far-reaching benefits for women around the world. Besides the obvious positive outcomes involving women’s health, his discovery allowed women to plan for their educational and professional futures. A study by Heinrich Hock, in affiliation with Brown and Florida State University, has shown that women who have legal access to the pill have higher college enrollment rates and lower college dropout rates than women who do not have legal access. At the young age of 26, Luis Miramontes had already contributed to life-changing reproductive healthcare and went on to win distinguished honors and awards for his many scientific breakthroughs — finally granting him the recognition he deserved.
Dayani Guevara is a first-year Cisneros Scholar in the Elliott School of International Affairs. From Fort Wayne, Indiana, she is pursing international affairs and is part of GW’s Women’s Leadership Program. Dayani’s views are her own and not necessarily reflective of the Cisneros Institute.