Ultrasound As a Male Contraceptive 599
TeslaBoy writes "The BBC has an article about using ultrasound aimed at the testicles as a reversible male contraceptive. This can last for six months. With a grant of $100,000 from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, researchers at the University of North Carolina will push ahead with more clinical trials, fine tuning, and safety tests."
A word to the wise: (Score:5, Funny)
Don't let Microsoft point ultrasonic emitters at your nuts.
Re:A word to the wise: (Score:4, Funny)
Re:A word to the wise: (Score:5, Funny)
Re:A word to the wise: (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:A word to the wise: (Score:5, Informative)
not reliable enough. The dude just needs to get a vasectomy.
I's a routine procedure. hell, my doctor and I were joking during the procedure.
Unless he wants to have more kids. That's a completely different discussion.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
"This Is" disappeared from my post, weird.
um, you do know that primary aphasia [nih.gov] is one of the risk factors for vasectomy, right?
Re:A word to the wise: (Score:4, Insightful)
The vasectomy fright is so overblown. I had it done 2 months ago. Go to a urologist who has experience (say 1000+ procedures) and does is regularly. The doctor I went to does them all day on Fridays. It's done in 15 minutes. Put an icepack on your nuts and watch some movies and sports for the weekend. Keep the kids away from your midsection. By the following weekend it's pretty much forgotten.
"Married people don't have sex" is such a tired cliche. If you're in that situation, sorry, that sucks, but it's not supposed to be that way. At age 40 with elementary school kids, I'm glad we made the decision. Plan ahead and put an extra $500 (or whatever your out-of-pocket expense might be) on your company Flex Plan to get it subsidized tax free.
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The vasectomy fright is so overblown. I had it done 2 months ago.
Mine had done about 1000 as well. Very experienced. Ended up hurting for two straight weeks.
Re:A word to the wise: (Score:5, Funny)
no, really, I recommend Vasectomies to my male friends.
I've had much worse things done to me at the dentist.
Yes, I spent three days with a bag of ice in my lap.
Yes, I whined that "my balls hurt"
No, I would not have wanted to run a race.
Worth it? Hell yes.
Vasectomy plus monogamy plus vigorous sexual relations equals happiness.
Not that condoms plus polyamory doesn't work for some...
Re:A word to the wise: (Score:5, Insightful)
"Married people don't have sex" is such a tired cliche
It's a cliche that's about to earn my wife a divorce. She started curtailing it six months after marriage because she was embarrassed that she was getting fat, and it dried up pretty fast. The hell with her; I can fuck my right hand all day and all night for free. BTW if you do find yourself in this situation do yourself a favor: DO NOT CHEAT. Divorce her first - and I mean make sure it's final, certificate in hand and everything. Way too many guys think that separation means they can play the field. Not so.
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Maybe he meant catch -22?
Re:A word to the wise: (Score:4, Insightful)
Ultimately it's his body, if she wants to finish things off, perhaps she should have surgery herself. Or is that people own their own bodies stuff only applicable to female bodies?
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Getting vasectomies reversed is rather trivial and is far easier and safer than tubal ligation.
Re:A word to the wise: (Score:4, Informative)
While reversing it is easy enough, about 50% of men who do it remain infertile due to the body becoming hostile to sperm while it was leaking into the body rather going through the channel.
Re:A word to the wise: (Score:5, Funny)
Re:A word to the wise: (Score:4, Informative)
I've been married for 20 years and we still have sex a few times a week.
Re:A word to the wise: (Score:5, Funny)
Re:A word to the wise: (Score:4, Funny)
Re:A word to the wise: (Score:5, Insightful)
All these comments and no one pointed out how unlikely it is that:
AmberBlackCat is a guy pretending to be a girl
AmberBlackCat claims to have a friend
AmberBlackCat claims that friend is a girl
Whats the likelyhood of all 3 of those applying to the same person ... ON SLASHDOT?
Yea, I didn't think so.
Re:A word to the wise: (Score:5, Funny)
I hope your wife doesn't find this out.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
But,is she awake during sex?
Re:A word to the wise: (Score:5, Funny)
Now that's a scary thought. Is there nothing a lawyer won't do?
Re:A word to the wise: (Score:5, Funny)
My laser vasectomy took 15 minutes, didn't hurt, had no side effects, and was covered under basic medical.
Also, frickin' laser beams.
But was it performed by a shark?
Re:A word to the wise: (Score:5, Funny)
But was it performed by a shark?
No. Lawers do not perform vasectomys.
Re:A word to the wise: (Score:4, Funny)
Only because they have far more effective methods of castrating you.
Re:A word to the wise: (Score:5, Funny)
Do you expect me to talk, doctor?
No sir, I expect you to die!
Re:A word to the wise: (Score:5, Funny)
I don't think you need a contraceptive to stop geeks reproducing...
Yup...Computer games, iPhones, Android phones, GPS devices, FOSS projects, Linux distros, ... (the list goes on) will all do the trick. Of course the effect of those are only temporary. To permanently prevent a geek from reproducing try giving him a Dell laptop and make sure it has a Sony battery.
Re:A word to the wise: (Score:5, Funny)
Re:A word to the wise: (Score:5, Funny)
Re:A word to the wise: (Score:5, Insightful)
Man. I'm gonna start tin-foiling my nuts. Ultrasound emitters can be made compact enough to hide anywhere. It'd be trivial to hide them under ATM's, seats in public places, etc. This leads to all sorts of spooky eugenics conspiracy scenarios.
Re:A word to the wise: (Score:5, Informative)
Blue Screen of Sterility (Score:4, Funny)
BBOD? (Score:5, Funny)
Don't let Microsoft point ultrasonic emitters at your nuts.
Blue Ball of Death?
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
That's 2nd best. Best is laughing while she asks, "is that supposed to be a penis?"
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
That ones never good, because its always followed by blood and screaming...
then next thing you know some kid is kicking open a shitter door and someones being shot to collect some damned reward...
Re:A word to the wise: (Score:5, Funny)
this took a very dark turn. Seek counseling.
Ultrasound Aimed at the Testicles (Score:5, Funny)
>> ultrasound aimed at the testicles
That just sounds nuts!
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Actually, this is the first thing they do if there's any suspicion of testicular cancer. I had some aches and pains and a little lump on Rightie, so I was sent off right away to have a scrotal ultrasound.
Does anyone know if/how that sort of diagnostic ultrasound differs from this? They didn't say ANYTHING to me about it affecting fertility.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
-They didn't say ANYTHING to me about it affecting fertility.
Simply wearing tight pants/underwear affects your fertility. What on earth made you think an ultrasound would improve your fertility in any way?
Ultrasound? (Score:5, Funny)
Jesus fucking Christ, why didn't I HEAR about this earlier?
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Flamebait? Yikes, where are the technically inclined people on this site now, can you HEAR the ultrasound? sigh.
I'll need something a little more definite... (Score:5, Insightful)
This can last for six months.
There are a number of areas in my life where YMMV is fine, and I'll take the risk, but I don't think contraception will be one of them.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
I had thought about that too. It would take several weeks before it "kicked in" because of the lag time for sperm production. Shut down your testicles tomorrow and you'll still be fertile until the stored sperm in the epididymis is used up. Given that, I don't see this method as being particularly popular unless you can keep "zapping" the testicles to ensure they don't resume sperm production. If they do then you are looking at another few weeks of having to use alternate birth control methods and in th
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Re:I'll need something a little more definite... (Score:5, Funny)
Shut down your testicles tomorrow and you'll still be fertile until the stored sperm in the epididymis is used up.
Thats the second part of the "service" a blond Scandinavian woman to ensure that the "stored sperm in the epididymis is used up"
Re:I'll need something a little more definite... (Score:4, Funny)
Thats the second part of the "service" a blond Scandinavian woman to ensure that the "stored sperm in the epididymis is used up"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Gunderson, but you really don't need to come in for a treatment every day."
Involuntary response. (Score:4, Funny)
So was I the only one who crossed their legs while reading the story?
Sign me up! (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Sign me up! (Score:5, Informative)
Here, I will pretend like you're not a total douche, merely ignorant, and try to explain things politely:
The implant is hormonal birth control. Many women cannot take HBC, or only some HBC, due to extreme side effects such as depression or mood swings, weight gain, and heavy bleeding. Only some women stop getting their period on the implant - up to 20% actually have heavier periods than before. Also, HBC puts you at higher risk of clotting problems (such as heart attacks, strokes, and embolisms), which means that women with other risk factors may want to avoid it. And women on certain medications, such as anti-epileptics, can't use the implant.
Other women may simply prefer other forms of birth control for other reasons. For example, some women actually appreciate getting a "Hey, you're still not pregnant" reminder every month. Some are uncomfortable with getting something implanted in their body. While their preferences may inconvenience you, it is far from "negligent" for them to make that decision for themselves.
Perhaps if you feel you are having to "endure" your significant other, you should let her know that. In those exact words. I'm sure she'll be refreshed by your honesty and see you in a completely new light, and will happily rearrange her biology for your convenience.
Re:Sign me up! (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Sign me up! (Score:4, Insightful)
Not every mental illness leaves one a raving lunatic incapable of any comprehension of reality, and despite how dramatic such cases are, they are actually a very small fraction. Most people who are mentally ill still have the capacity to understand that something is wrong and that treatment will help. I'm not talking about people who are totally out of touch with reality, as chances are that they are not receiving their treatment on a voluntary basis anyway.
You'll note that in what I said, I specifically acknowledged there are people for whom the treatment is not appropriate, and never restated or agreed with the "negligent" statement. Obviously, if the treatment is likely to kill you, you are hardly "negligent" for not taking it. But that's only true in a small fraction of cases.
Why do some people seem to have this concept that men are emotionless robots? Sleep deprivation, stress, aging, life events, and, yes, hormones, can all have a tremendous impact on the male (and female, of course) psyche. Hormones are far from the only thing that can cause an adverse emotional state.
Certainly for me, I've had days where I've gotten up, or gotten home, and been in a tremendously foul mood for some reason. But I make myself aware of that, and make sure I vent to my fiance about whatever's wrong, and never vent on her. I do expect that of myself, and I certainly try to live up to it, because I care greatly about her. I don't expect anything of her that I would not and have not done for her.
She's done the same with me, whether what's getting to her is difficulty from her period or a bad day at work. I do acknowledge that some men do have a highly irrational fear of hearing anything remotely related to menstruation, and I don't understand why that is. It's one of thousands of totally natural biological processes that happen every day. But as far as what she does about trouble from it, she does the exact same-if it's got her feeling like hell, she'll say so, and I'll listen and do what I can to help her feel better. But I wouldn't accept her taking it out on me, any more then she'd accept me taking my bad days out on her. I don't think either of us should accept that, because it is not acceptable behavior.
Re:Sign me up! (Score:4, Interesting)
Completely true story:
I broke up with my girlfriend a few weeks before my vacation. I have a high sex drive and she knew about this. She also knew that I masturbate into paper towels sometimes and throw them away when I'm lazy because my room is far from my bathroom. When I went on vacation I forgot to take out the trash... And I came in to my house to find it broken into with all my trash scattered around and a voicemail saying thanks for the child...
=|
Of course it didn't work but still, WTF.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
I had a girlfriend who said she was on birth control. One time after sex she put a pillow under her butt. When asked why, she told me that gravity would help the sperm reach the egg. Then she explained that she was ovulating right then. Apparently she had been planning this with the help of a doctor.
I spent the next couple months in horror thinking she had been successful. That day was burned into my memory as the day my life was ruined. I couldn't stand the girl any more and she knew it. That was why she d
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
The truth is stranger than fiction. I'm also tired of women always playing the victim when they can be just as malicious and stupid as men.
Why not (Score:4, Funny)
just get married instead?
Re:Why not (Score:5, Funny)
Hmmm... (Score:5, Funny)
Gives new meaning to the term "Hum Job."
Oblig. Futurama... (Score:5, Funny)
Fry: I dunno. Try it on me!
[Zap]
Fry: Ow! My sperm!
Bender: Wow! Neat! Mind if I try that again?
[Zap]
Fry: Huh, didn't hurt that time.
Duplicate post? (Score:5, Funny)
Didn't we just see a story about this? Or is Ball Lightning [slashdot.org] not the same thing?
Re:Duplicate post? (Score:5, Funny)
No... not ball lightning, this is about ball lightening.
Ringtone (Score:4, Funny)
Now if I can just get a ringtone for that...
Billionaires still have to deal with traffic (Score:4, Funny)
Imagine you're Bill Gates, you're the richest guy in the world, yet you still have to sit in traffic. So why not devote the rest of your life to population control?
This is old technology. (Score:5, Funny)
Dr. Who fans will love it (Score:3, Funny)
Idiocracy? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:First Post (Score:5, Funny)
I hope it's more effective than your first post attempts or somebody will be calling you Daddy soon ;)
Re:First Post (Score:4, Funny)
Re:First Post (Score:4, Informative)
How exactly is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation connected to Microsoft? The largest transparently-operated private foundation in the world doesn't have a lot in common with Microsoft Corp. In fact, there's only one thing I can think of that they do have in common.
Re:First Post (Score:5, Funny)
In fact, there's only one thing I can think of that they do have in common.
Virility-destroying products?
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I'd like to start by thanking all the little people in my life, you all helped to make this day happen. My principal in high school for showing me how to use the soap in the gym showers, the doctor for my first rectal exam, GNAA for all their great posts and informative commentary. I couldn't have done it with out all your support!
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
yes, Bill gates made a donation, clearly that means MS will ahve access.
also, Bill Gate bought a slurpee and 7-11 so now MS is spying on you in all 7-11.
Re:First Post (Score:4, Funny)
That works great right up to the point where some girl with a thing for nerds decides to jump you.
Don't laugh, it could happen to you (it's not likely of course, but it is possible).
Re:First Post (Score:4, Insightful)
I'm happy using abstinence as a contraceptive.
See, you -say- you're happy, but then you say you're abstaining... which is it?
Re:First Post (Score:4, Funny)
" "this might tingle a little..."
"..but for an extra 100, it will tingle a lot."
Re:if 'twere permanent... (Score:5, Funny)
With that attitude I don't think you need to worry about having kids.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
How are children a selfish act?
Continue the species, taxpayers for social programs, potential to do something great, etc
Re:if 'twere permanent... (Score:4, Insightful)
If you want kids, have kids, but don't deny that it's the supremely selfish act.
Maybe for you. I can think of nothing more selfish than to deny the awesomeness of my genes to future generations ;)
Re:if 'twere permanent... (Score:5, Insightful)
How is that "the" supremely selfish act compared to, say, dumping toxic waste on 3rd world water supplies in order to save a buck? Or buying up a business, raiding the pension fund, and selling off the parts for profit while thousands of people wonder where their job and retirement went? Or abusing your status as a police officer in order to get a sad power kick?
Having a kid basically means devoting very large chunks of your life to someone else. You're giving up 2 years of doing anything, 3 further years of any daytime activities, then 15 years of having control over your own life. And why? So you can create a life that will hopefully go off into the wild and make society a better place.
Some people want to help a million people a little bit. A lot of people want to help one or two people a whole lot. Is it "supremely selfish" because it is something they want to do? Does this now mean that the only selfless acts that matter are the acts of self-flagellation that nobody wants to do? In the kinds of developed countries that post on slashdot, the birthrate generally has fallen below 1 child per 1 person. Clearly the problem can't be overpopulation, at least not here.
Really, the only way raising children could be considered "the supremely selfish act" is if you start from the position that human beings are bad, and more human beings are more bad. We have enough food to feed everybody currently, we're just terrible at distributing it. We have enough water for now. And peak oil is happening one way or another. Arguably, we'll be off of the oil standard faster the more scientists we can raise. And again, if you don't count immigration the population of most developed countries is declining.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
WOOSH!
I think the posters point was that there are tons of kids available to be adopted. There is no need to breed your own. All of what you said can be done with an adopted child. You know, the ones that are here already and need help now.
Re:if 'twere permanent... (Score:4, Insightful)
Having a kid basically means devoting very large chunks of your life to your own sperm. You're giving up 2 years of doing anything, 3 further years of any daytime activities, then 15 years of having control over your own life. And why? So you can send your own genes off into the wild and ensure the continuation and possible dominance of your DNA on the human species.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Maybe selfish in the sense that breathing air or drinking water is supremely selfish, but not in the sense that it is morally incorrect.
I say that, because not having children because of your own ideology is just as selfish from the unborn potential child's perspective.
Re:if 'twere permanent... (Score:5, Funny)
There's no more selfish act in the world than having your own children.
not when my children are better than you! my 16 month old is already doing calculus. it's in the form of spaghetti, so it takes some interpreting, but it's there.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
...I might consider it. There's no more selfish act in the world than having your own children.
If only your parents had the same views.
Re:The B&M Gates Foundation Does Care About Po (Score:4, Insightful)
Eliminating disease is about population control. Wherever there is high mortality rates there is high population growth. It's just human nature: death is all around, make more babies.
Re:The B&M Gates Foundation Does Care About Po (Score:4, Funny)
No stronger aphrodisiac than a pile or rotting corpses, eh?
Re:Hmmmm (Score:4, Insightful)
I would imagine that people said the same thing about the birth control pill 50 years ago.
Re:Hmmmm (Score:4, Insightful)
yes, they should listen to some boob on the internet who has no idea what there talking about instead if investing money with experts who understand what they are doing.
Just because your on the internet with an opinion doesn't make you an expert.
Re:Club Of Rome Fascism (Score:4, Insightful)
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 16.
(1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
(2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
(3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.
So, Mr. Fascist, which other parts of the UNDHR would you like to repeal? The right to peaceful assembly? The right to rest and leisure? Equal treatment before the law without regard to race or class? Perhaps you'd like to get rid of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion? It's a monstrous path you tread, and the fact that you're +5 insightful instead of -1 Fascist Thug is chilling.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
How's abstinence working out for your priests, after all? Apparently, not too well, because they're all secretly molesting young boys.
Abstinence has nothing to do with that. I've been pretty sexually frustrated at times in my life (cue /. living in Mom's basement jokes...) and I've never looked at little boys as an outlet for my energies. One can be horny without becoming a pedophile.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I would tend to imagine that the number of people who have never wasted some sperm in their lives is close to absolute 0.
So between that and no contraception, what's the difference?
If God gave us wet dreams, he gave us the right to waste sperm in little rubber containers. Or spray it all over the wall, for all he cares. I mean, it's a little hard to believe that God expects us to be chief financial officer for little dudes we create in the billions.
I would expect it is simply much more logical to assume tho
Re:Club Of Rome Fascism (Score:5, Insightful)
How do you propose that society support people who have 12 kids, like the Octomom?
Stop supporting people who can't take care of themselves and the problem solves itself naturally in short order. Yes, that's cold and heartless, but I would take the loss of the welfare state over the loss of my right to control my own body. Telling me how many kids I'm allowed to have is not compatible with Western notions of freedom and self-determination.
Re:Club Of Rome Fascism (Score:4, Insightful)
If we are to remain a society that values freedom and self-determination you have no right at all to tell me whether or not I can have kids or how many I can have.
Society has every right to remove freedoms when the society is threatened. People who commit crimes don't have any freedom; they're locked in ugly jail cells for years or decades at a time. People who drive in cars don't have the freedom to drive the wrong way, because that causes accidents and death. Society places all kinds of limits on your freedom. You don't have the freedom to earn money and keep it all for yourself: you have to pay part of it to the government as "taxes", or you go to jail. You don't have the freedom to smoke an easily-grown herb either, you can be sent to prison for that too.
If society reaches the point where there's too many people, and not enough resources, then your "right" to have 20 kids will be seen as a threat to society's health, and your rights will be curtailed. China has already reached this point and enacted restrictions on breeding. Not coincidentally, they are advancing very rapidly as a society, from a backwards agrarian society to the #1 exporter of goods. You may not like their limits on freedom (I don't either), but their policies are definitely working.
As for the "F" word, I'm not sure you know what it means.
Re:Club Of Rome Fascism (Score:4, Insightful)
Ha HA! Wow! Cuompulsory state sponsored sterilization! What a whackjob, he actually WAS serious! So tell us, did you work at Sachsenhausen or Buchenwald in the '40s [wikipedia.org]?
Microsoft plot (Score:4, Funny)
The connection is easy. Computer users in third world countries usually don't buy Windows. It's a clever plot on Bill's part with Melinda's blessing to cut down on the number of non-Windows users.
(and I bet you thought that no one on /. could turn an article on contraception into something anti-Microsoft. Ta-Da!!!)
Cheers,
Dave
P.S. For the humor impaired, just kidding.
Re:Urm, yeah (Score:4, Informative)
I suspect a lot of men would rather take a pill or get a shot. After all, the ultrasonic device is causing actual damage while the pill just convinces something to not be so active. In practice it is probably not a big deal, but the point I was making is that the description is cringe worthy. I sure hope the pamphlets are worded better.
The more serious problem will be, as I said, that it can easily go un-noticed when the man becomes fertile again until it is too late.
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Just like my raincoat. - President Skroob
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
In my day we were lucky to have a hammer!
We used two halves of a brick if we were lucky!
Re:Frequencies (Score:5, Funny)
A 90-year-old man said to his doctor, "I've never felt better. I have an 18-year-old bride who is pregnant with my child. What do you think about that?"
The doctor considered his question for a minute and then said, "I have an elderly friend who is a hunter and never misses a season. One day when he was going out in a bit of a hurry, he accidentally picked up his umbrella instead of his gun.
When he got to the Creek, he saw a beaver sitting beside the stream. He raised his umbrella and went, 'bang, bang' and the beaver fell dead. What do you think of that?" The 90-year-old said, "I'd say somebody else shot that beaver."
The doctor replied, "My point exactly."