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Ultrasound As a Male Contraceptive

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."

45 of 599 comments (clear)

  1. A word to the wise: by Narcocide · · Score: 5, Funny

    Don't let Microsoft point ultrasonic emitters at your nuts.

    1. Re:A word to the wise: by Kinky+Bass+Junk · · Score: 5, Funny

      I don't think you need a contraceptive to stop geeks reproducing...

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      Anonymous Coward
    2. Re:A word to the wise: by Kell+Bengal · · Score: 5, Funny

      I'm so glad there's finally a solution! I'm so tired from outrunning those mobs of horny women lusting for geek guys.

      --
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    3. Re:A word to the wise: by Garridan · · 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.

    4. Re:A word to the wise: by AmberBlackCat · · Score: 5, Interesting

      True. But I have a friend who is trying to get her husband to have a vasectomy. I bet this would be a much easier sell. Especially if it comes up after the vasectomy argument.

    5. Re:A word to the wise: by Alphathon · · Score: 4, Informative

      You'll have to try harder than that - this is sound we're talking about, not EM. What you really need to do is cover your nuts in sound-proof foam.

    6. Re:A word to the wise: by Kinky+Bass+Junk · · Score: 5, Funny

      Marriage is almost a better contraception than being geeky.

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      Anonymous Coward
    7. Re:A word to the wise: by Anonymous Coward · · 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.

    8. Re:A word to the wise: by geekoid · · 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.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    9. Re:A word to the wise: by geekoid · · Score: 4, Informative

      I've been married for 20 years and we still have sex a few times a week.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    10. Re:A word to the wise: by Kinky+Bass+Junk · · Score: 5, Funny

      It has to be with each other to count.

      --
      Anonymous Coward
    11. Re:A word to the wise: by Mean+Variance · · 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.

    12. Re:A word to the wise: by cavefrog · · Score: 5, Funny

      "tubal litigation"

      Now that's a scary thought. Is there nothing a lawyer won't do?

    13. Re:A word to the wise: by Cryacin · · Score: 4, Funny

      Do they serve beer on your planet too?

      --
      Science advances one funeral at a time- Max Planck
    14. Re:A word to the wise: by the_fat_kid · · Score: 4, 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...

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      -- Sig under construction...
    15. Re:A word to the wise: by Pharmboy · · Score: 4, 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?

      --
      Tequila: It's not just for breakfast anymore!
    16. Re:A word to the wise: by Dishevel · · Score: 5, Funny

      But was it performed by a shark?

      No. Lawers do not perform vasectomys.

      --
      Why is it so hard to only have politicians for a few years, then have them go away?
    17. Re:A word to the wise: by Zaphod+The+42nd · · Score: 4, Funny

      Lazer beam vasectomy:
      Do you expect me to talk, doctor?

      No sir, I expect you to die!

      --
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    18. Re:A word to the wise: by BitZtream · · Score: 4, 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.

      --
      Persistent Volume manager for Kubernetes - https://github.com/dwimsey/openshift-pvmanager
    19. Re:A word to the wise: by Anonymous Coward · · 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.

    20. Re:A word to the wise: by Xaositecte · · Score: 4, Funny

      this took a very dark turn. Seek counseling.

    21. Re:A word to the wise: by mjwx · · Score: 4, Funny

      I've been married for 20 years and we still have sex a few times a week.

      I hope your wife doesn't find this out.

      --
      Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
  2. Ultrasound Aimed at the Testicles by Anne_Nonymous · · Score: 5, Funny

    >> ultrasound aimed at the testicles

    That just sounds nuts!

  3. Re:First Post by Shakrai · · Score: 4, Funny

    I hope it's more effective than your first post attempts or somebody will be calling you Daddy soon ;)

    --
    I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
    We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
  4. Ultrasound? by roman_mir · · Score: 4, Funny

    Jesus fucking Christ, why didn't I HEAR about this earlier?

  5. I'll need something a little more definite... by Sepultura · · 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.

    1. Re:I'll need something a little more definite... by cynyr · · Score: 4, 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"

      --
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  6. Involuntary response. by Zarjazz · · Score: 4, Funny

    So was I the only one who crossed their legs while reading the story?

  7. Why not by turing_m · · Score: 4, Funny

    just get married instead?

    --
    If I have seen further it is by stealing the Intellectual Property of giants.
    1. Re:Why not by euxneks · · Score: 4, Funny

      nm. just got the joke. Been a long day. *facepalm*

      --
      in girum imus nocte et consumimur igni
  8. Hmmm... by Howard+Roark · · Score: 4, Funny

    Gives new meaning to the term "Hum Job."

    --
    Howard Roark, Architect
    I believe in a Man's right to exist for his own sake.
  9. Re:if 'twere permanent... by geekoid · · Score: 4, Funny

    With that attitude I don't think you need to worry about having kids.

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  10. Oblig. Futurama... by A+L+1+E+N · · Score: 5, Funny

    Bender: What should we point it at first?
    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.

  11. Re:First Post by Chris+Burke · · Score: 4, Funny

    In fact, there's only one thing I can think of that they do have in common.

    Virility-destroying products?

    --

    The enemies of Democracy are
  12. Re:if 'twere permanent... by hamburger+lady · · Score: 4, 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.

    --

    ---
    Is this the MPAA? Is this the RIAA? Is this the DMCA? I thought it was the USA!
  13. Duplicate post? by ciaohound · · Score: 4, Funny

    Didn't we just see a story about this? Or is Ball Lightning not the same thing?

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    Oh, yeah, it's not easy to pad these out to 120 characters.
    1. Re:Duplicate post? by slimjim8094 · · Score: 4, Funny

      No... not ball lightning, this is about ball lightening.

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  14. Re:Hmmmm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I would imagine that people said the same thing about the birth control pill 50 years ago.

  15. This is old technology. by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 4, Funny

    Wives discovered a long time ago that screaming loudly enough in the vicinity of their husband's testicles somehow "magically" prevented pregnancy. It prevented a lot of other things too, but that's beside the point.

  16. Re:if 'twere permanent... by cgenman · · 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.

  17. Re:Club Of Rome Fascism by Shakrai · · Score: 4, 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.

    --
    I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
    We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
  18. Re:Club Of Rome Fascism by DNS-and-BIND · · 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.

    --
    Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
  19. Re:Sign me up! by porcupine8 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Wow, this has to be one of the most misogynistic comments I've ever seen on Slashdot - and that's saying a lot.

    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.

    --
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  20. BBOD? by Guppy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Don't let Microsoft point ultrasonic emitters at your nuts.

    Blue Ball of Death?

  21. Re:Frequencies by dunkelfalke · · 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."

    --
    "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap