Recently, there has been a relentless colloquium related to new contraceptive techniques for men in round-table discussions celebrated in Korea. We asked ourselves if the end of vasectomy was coming, as we know it nowadays.
There are two contrasted methods for contraception in men: barrier methods (preservatives) and vasectomy.
Other ways, such as hormonal treatments, are not approved for men as they are for women. Its efficacy has not been proven and hormonal alterations have appeared. We still have a long way to go in that aspect.
However, the inventor Clemens Bimekhas recently announced the creation ofBimek SLV, a new contraceptive method for which he is recruiting volunteers to perform clinical trials.
The method consists on the implantation of a device in each of the deferens, under the skin. The device has aswitchwith two positions, to allow or avoid sperm migration.
Once it has been switched to the non-migration mode, the patient will have to wait from 3 to 6 months and at least 30 ejaculations for the sperm in the seminal channel to disappear, as in a regular vasectomy. When the patient wishes to ejaculate sperm again, he will only have to switch it back.
This method sounds very attractive to us, but still has a lot to prove and many questions to answer:
What kind of side effects would it cause? Could it cause pain in the deferens or the apparition of granuloma? Would it cause the deferens atrophy as time goes by, resulting in a vasectomy? Could the device get infected and cause severe orchitis? Does the man really ejaculate sperm when the switch is activated? Will some of the patients never ejaculate again?
Urology experts like me still chose a needle vasectomy without scalpel, which is fast, safe, effective, reversible, barely painful and has been known for years. In any case, we are expectant to see what the new treatment results are.
We are open to new options, always “ON”.
