Sperm Stoppers For Men

(Aug. 4, 2006) -- Reversible birth control for guys may be just a few years away. Tiny sperm-blocking silicone plugs will get their first long-term study in 90 men this fall in Seattle and St. Paul, MN.

During a 20-minute procedure, the Intra Vas Device (IVD) is placed into the tubes that deliver sperm. Preliminary studies suggest only a day or two of soreness, no worse than from a vasectomy, says Neil Pollack, MD, cofounder of Shepherd Medical Company, the IVD's Vancouver-based developer. The plugs should be easy to remove when a couple wants to conceive. Shepherd Medical hopes to market the IVD by 2011.

http://www.prevention.com/article/0,5778,s1-1-93-35-7048-1,00.html

Comments

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paulh50

04/18/07 15:30

This procedure has been around for a number of years. The usual procedure, when I checked, was the use of gold valves. This was to allow the vas tubes to be reopened without removing the valves. Upon further discussion, with the doc, I learned: 1. stopping the flow or sperm could decrease the amount of sperm a man can produce. 2. The operation is not guarenteed to work or be repairable. 3. It's safe, cheaper and easier to have sperm frozen and have a vasectomy.

I have a friend who had his vas plugged and was sore for 3 weeks after he had them opened.

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