Over the past decades, access to family planning has been expanded as it is considered a fundamental human right. Couples who prefer smaller family sizes can consider the number of children they wish to have, including the option not to have a child.
Developing birth control, methods revolutionized the way couples can prevent unwanted pregnancies. However, most contraceptives are centered around the woman's body, and only a few options are available for men.
Ultrasound-Based Testicle Bath Birth Control
The search for an alternative to pills as a contraceptive method for men has been the focus of Rebecca Weiss, a German industrial design graduate who pursued a master's degree at the Technical University of Munich. Weiss and her partner began searching for other birth control methods after she experienced cervical cancer precursor. Since hormonal contraception was no longer an option, they realized they needed to look for an alternative prophylactic method.
Weiss realized that there were not enough male birth control options. Men can only choose between using condoms and undergoing vasectomy, so Weiss got inspired to develop her method. She created a mug-sized device called Coso which offers a hormone-free and reversible approach to preventing unwanted pregnancy.
Coso works in a very simple way. The bowl-like device is filled with water heated to the required temperature. Then the user places his testicles within the device to get an ultrasonic bath for several minutes. The ultrasound generates a deep heat in the testicular tissue, temporarily altering spermatogenesis or producing new sperm cells. In short, testicle bath birth control will leave the user temporarily infertile.
Since Coso can be used from home, it provides an easy-to-use approach that does not give any physical intervention, pain, or unwanted side effects. Its effect can only last for six months, after which the formation of sperm will return to normal.
The procedure has only been tested on animals with a high success rate. The functional prototype of the device is now undergoing technical feasibility. It will then proceed to the next step of building high-fidelity and full-scale prototypes which can be used in clinical trials.
Birth Control Methods for Men
Like women, men express strong interest and commitment to effective family planning. However, there is a disparity in the available birth control methods for both sexes. According to the American Medical Association (AMA), there is a total of 11 options developed for women, such as barrier methods, hormonal methods, and long-acting, reversible contraceptives (LARCs). On the other hand, there are only two options available for men to choose from.
Traditional approaches to male contraception have long included periodic abstinence and withdrawal. Medical advancements have led to the development of condoms and vasectomy, which provide physical methods of preventing sperm from reaching the site of fertilization.
However, unlike female contraception, male contraceptives' reversible methods are unreliable. Vasectomy, the only reliable method, is not intended as a reversible process. More effective reversible male contraceptive methods must be developed for men to share the equal burden and benefits of family planning.
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