Vasectomy Out, 'Sperm Switch' In: New Contraception Allows Men to Turn Their Fertility On & Off

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With the recent scientific developments, men now have more options when it comes to contraceptive. Now, men can say goodbye to vasectomy as a new contraception invention, a sperm switch called Bimek SLV, allows men to take personal control of their fertility in just a switch of a button.

According to a report from Telegraph, German inventor Clemens Bimek had the idea for the sperm switch 20 years ago while watching a documentary about contraception, and when he discovered that no one has developed such device, he figured to work on it.

The sperm switch invention lets men turn of and off the flow of sperm from their testicles by flicking a switch inside the scrotum. Bimek claims that his invention will revolutionize contraception for men.

Bimek shared that initially, experts made fun of his idea after hearing it. “Many of the doctors I consulted didn’t take me seriously. But there were some who encouraged me to go on tinkering and helped me with their expertise,” he said.

The sperm switch or Bimek SLV consists of tiny valves, which are about one-inch long and weigh less than one-tenth of an ounce. These valves are then surgically implanted into the man's vas deferens, which is the part of the male's reproductive organ that's responsible for carrying the sperm. The valves can be controlled by a simple on-off switch that can be flicked under the skin of the scrotum. The whole operation is done in just 30 minutes.

According to Bimek SLV's website, the sperm switch's advantage is that it's a lifelong, hormone-free contraceptive option for men that are reversible. This is a big leap from vasectomy, which is a permanent procedure.

The website says that through Bimek SLV, men has more freedom and option to decide when they want to become fertile. "Male contraception quite often means getting a vasectomy. It’s a difficult decision to make. What if you’re not quite finished planning your family? With us, there’s no need to ask this question. The Bimek SLV allows you to be sterile when you want to. The switch that toggles your fertility is controlled by you. You decide.”

So far, Bimek is the only man who has implanted the device in his reproductive organ. However, Telegraph reports that now that he has finished developing the sperm switch, it is now ready to be implanted to 25 men this year.

What do you think of the sperm switch? Do you prefer this than vasectomy? Share your comments below.