Future Contraception May Involve Zapping Testicles With Ultrasound
Posted on January 29, 2012
A new form of contraception available in the future could involve your testicles with a blast of ultrasound. A study on rats found that ultrasound may be effective in reducing sperm counts.
The research, published in BioMed Central's Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology, used commercially available therapeutic ultrasound equipment to reduce sperm counts of male rats to levels which would result in infertility in humans. Two 15-minute doses reportedly significantly reduced sperm levels. Saline was used to provide conduction between the ultrasound transducer and skin, and the testes were warmed to 37 degrees centigrade.
Lead researcher Dr James Tsuruta says, "Unlike humans, rats remain fertile even with extremely low sperm counts. However, our non-invasive ultrasound treatment reduced sperm reserves in rats far below levels normally seen in fertile men (95% of fertile men have more than 39 million sperm in their ejaculate). However further studies are required to determine how long the contraceptive effect lasts and if it is safe to use multiple times."
The BBC reports that a downside could be lingering damaged sperm, which could lead to a damaged baby. There will also need to be studies to make sure the ultrasound testicle zapping does not result in permanent sterilization.