http://techcitement.com/culture/the-best-birth-control-in-the-world-is-for-men/
As a 41 year old man with a vasectomy, i look at this proven and 25 year tested Indian technology as a great alternative to vasectomies, and maybe even a better approach than the pill.
However, when I posted on my Facebook page, this instantly devolved into a ‘OMG, I’m not putting a needle and/or chemicals in my nads.’ discussion.
what.
and because of the polymer’s pattern of negative/positive polarization, the sperm are torn apart through the polyelectrolytic effect. On a molecular level, it’s what supervillains envision will happen when they stick the good guy between two huge magnets and flip the switch.
Fucking science fiction happening and nobody’s told me about this? This is awesome.
I don’t think I’m up for a needle in the vas deferens. Can’t they make something I can swallow with water?
Hmm, I’d want to see more statistics about its long-term use, just in case there’s some “oh, and there’s a 5% chance it’ll spontaneously clear and you’ll return to fully fertile without even knowing it” gotcha.
There are at least a dozen clickable links in the article with additional information.
A doctor applies some local anesthetic, makes a small pinhole in the base of the scrotum, reaches in with a pair of very thin forceps, and pulls out the small white vas deferens tube. Then, the doctor injects the polymer gel (called Vasalgel here in the US), pushes the vas deferens back inside, repeats the process for the other vas deferens, puts a Band-Aid over the small hole, and the man is on his way.
If it’s going this far I’m thinking it’s not much more complicated to get a vasectomy.
That actually sounds like a field day compared to the 20-minute long MRI I had done on a cellulitis-inflicted elbow back in November.
I would consider this. Too bad it seems the earliest it would get on the market here is 2015 and only as a vasectomy alternative.
A urologist once told me this joke:
Q: How much of a difference is there between boys and girls?
A: There’s a vas deferens.
har har.
Seriously, they need to play up this angle a bit more. If I had this option I would have taken it instead of the V-snip.
/slaps forehead “I coulda’ had a RISUG!”
OK, might need to work on a catchy name for this as well.
It hasn’t cleared clinical testing or been proven to be safe. Which makes claims that it’s the best in the world a little premature.
I would gladly take a needle or put chemicals in my testicles if it means that there wont be a bunch of kids running around me in the near future. Sign me up.
A doctor applies some local anesthetic, makes a small pinhole in the base of the scrotum, reaches in with a pair of very thin forceps, and pulls out the small white vas deferens tube. Then, the doctor injects the polymer gel (called Vasalgel here in the US), pushes the vas deferens back inside, repeats the process for the other vas deferens, puts a Band-Aid over the small hole, and the man is on his way.
I would need more than a local for this, I would have to out cold.
Indeed. The only real difference here seems to be the chemical rather mechanical nature of the vas deference inhibition and I guess the relatively temporary nature of it. The discomfort and invasive nature is otherwise identical, it seems. [I got one or two stitches for my vasectomy rather than a “band-aid”, but otherwise it sounds about the same. Although to be honest ripping a band-aid off my scrotum sounds just as bad or worse. ]
So the only real choice here would seem be whether you want kids in ten years or not. I could see a 16-year-old wanting to get chemically “snipped” because he would want kids in ten years but wants to sow his (infertile) oats in the meantime. That’s a lot of forethought for a teenager, but there are probably a couple kids out there like that. Whereas a 35-year-old who doesn’t want any more kids would want to do the temporary chemical thing because…?
There’s apparently less chance of spontaneous, uh, failure? Which apparently happens with vasectomies some 5% of the time? Or so I read.
Less than 5%. Last I read was that failure rate can be as high as 10% within the first year (largely due, I imagine, to people not realizing it doesn’t work immediately and you have to, um, “clean out the pipes”) but drops off significantly after that.
I’m sure it depends on what study you’re reading, though.
It’s not. It’s almost exactly the same procedure as a vasectomy, except it uses an injection of pseudoscience.
Whats wrong with condoms?
I’m sorry? No, it sounded like you asked, “What’s wrong with condoms?” Must be a bad connection. Can you repeat your question?
Nothing is wrong with condoms or any other birth control method, really.
As an alternative, however, this (with additional clinical trial time) seems like a great solution under plenty of scenarios.
IF it can be proven to be effective and as easily reversible as the article states.
16 year old straight boys - none are really planning to father a child any time soon - so, why not block the pipes with something effective, to prevent accidental pregnancies.
Men contemplating vasectomies - Most men (including myself) would rather have this, reversible procedure, than the snip snip vasectomy.
I mean, really, any man who was not planning on having children within 6 months . . . seems like a good form of birth control