Ultrasound Could Be New Contraception for Men

Hey, anything that's not a vasectomy's alright with us.

For ages, men looking to avoid the beautiful accidents that are children have been forced to consider vasectomies and/or condoms. But promising new research out of the University of North Carolina has found (in rats, at least) that doses of ultrasound could lower sperm counts to levels considered "sub-fertile." In tests, researchers found that 15-minute doses of ultrasound aimed at the testicles lowered rats' sperm counts (GREAT band name, that) to below 10 million sperms per millilitre, well below the threshold of baby-makin' levels. Now, the research team is looking to see how long the ultrasound-induced sperm shortage lasts, and whether the process is safe for repeated use. (Granted, for a generation of young men used to having laptops on their crotches and cellphones resting near their groins, that may turn out to be a non-issue.) But if the procedure is found to be safe not just on rats but also humans, then we can hope to never have to consider a vasectomy ever again. Oh, and we can thank the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for funding the project. (They also did this over the weekend, too, so... keep up the good work, world's second-richest man!)