PonyPotato

See the article here: http://technology.newscientist.com/a...vasectomy.html

What do you think? Men of TFP: would you want to try this (if it was already tested and proven, of course)? Women of TFP: would you want your SO to try this? In what situations would you think this a good idea? Those of you who have had experience with vasectomies.. would you have preferred a device like this, that would allow you to reverse the procedure during a "grace" period?

Personally, the concept of male birth control is very appealing. I wouldn't be singularly responsible for an "accident," and the further reduction of the chance of becoming pregnant when I don't want to be would be really nice. Unfortunately, though, it still looks like male birth control experiments are not as easily reversible as most female birth control methods. I suppose that something like this would be a good idea later in life - after I've had my kidlet or two.

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Cynthetiq

I'd have a hard time trusting that it's actually closed... you know when you lock the door you can check it... how do you check that the little sperms aren't able to squeeze out the door????

the only way to tell would be after the fact.

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Halx

I squirmed. Did you?-

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ratbastid

Definitely.

The minute there's a male birth control product on the market, I'm on it. My girls have shouldered the BC burden for way too long. I'd have a vasectomy, but there's discussion around here that we might someday want sprouts, and I'd hate to prematurely preclude that option.

I'm not sold on this design, though. It's like those RFID credit cards--I want a positive, physical SWIPE of my card to know I'm charging something. Waving it in the proximity of the reader just feels like an overly vague and accident-prone user interface to me. While I'm generally against surgery on my junk, I sort of want my doctor to actually go in there and DO something to make me fertile again, rather than just waving a transmitter at me.

inBOIL

There are problems with it, including the rise of black-market transmitters allowing unscrupulous women to hack into their boyfriends' junk for the purposes of 'accidentally' getting pregnant But if it works, it's a lot better than the current state of men's birth control, and something I would use.

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The Faba

I dunno... I'm kinda terrified of what happens to your load when it becomes blocked. Is there an 'Overflow' property built in?

Because I don't want the back half of my wang to bulge up like a party balloon when I got an extra big load to drop.

Baraka_Guru

I'd sooner just have a kid or two.

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LoganSnake

No needle is going near my junk.

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ratbastid

Back to biology class, my friend. Please google yourself up a picture of the male reproductive system, and note the following items:
- vas deferens
- seminal vesicles
- urethra

What's blocked is the vas deferens, which is the tube connecting the testicles to the seminal vesicle, where it's mixed with seminal fluid and held awaiting ejaculation. No clear path through the vas deferens means the semen has no sperm in it. A vasectomy is the surgical disconnection of the vas deferens.

UKking

But then you could just surprise the hell out of whomever and cover them in goo. That'd be damn funny, really.

Ilow

fuck, I just spit out pita chips reading this ya bastard!
I don't know about the whole thing. It does seem like a nice vasectomy alternative, but seems to have some drawbacks (like devious girls manipulating it). I guess I would consider it if I were in the appropriate situation.
And yes Halx I did squirm...

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JStrider

Definitely would like some sort of male birth control... dont know that I would really feel comfortable trusting a little valve...

there were some others I've read about that I thought sounded better.

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1010011010

What I find really odd is that they talk about how this can be done in a clinic with a needle. How about we skip the radio-controlled valve business and "push fit" a solid silicone plug as an alternative to having my naughty bits cut on?

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Jozen-Bo

It sounds creepy...

Why not just pull out in the knick of time...like they do in just about every porno ever made??? I do and after having sex 2-3 times a day for over 8 years it worked every time, discipline is the magic word here!!!

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evilbeefchan

I cringed at "push fit" and laughed at "clog with protein."

I admit the potential risk of becoming "permanently infertile" does concern me, as this is the major reason most men don't get vasectomies. But I really find the "gizmo" factor oddly appealing. I can only imagine the conversations that this will spark up:

"Oh yea? Well mine is 800 microns long, got flexible silicone-polymer micro valves controlled by remote, protected by my own security code that's locked away. Shoots lasers, too."

ASU2003

It sounds high-tech, but I don't think it will be the perfect solution. There needs to be something that even 14 year olds can use. It seems like all of the methods out there are targeting guys who have had a kid or two and are done.

ratbastid

You know what they call guys who use the withdrawal method of birth control?

Daddy.

ItWasMe

Man, I'm disappointed. Here I thought you were all going to give me great advice on how to finally get the tv remote control away from my husband. *sigh* Bummer.

I had to laugh when I first read the article and got to the part about it being like a remote control to a tv. I thought about the one button that turns the television on and off. And how I sometimes don't press the button hard enough, and have to try again.

I could see some guy new at this, trying to close the valve. "okay, I pressed it...wait...I didn't feel anything...lemme try again...still nothing...here you try it...are you pressing the button hard enough?...well maybe I'm not supposed to feel anything...oh hell...how many times did we push the button??...Is it on, or is it off?"

Good thing they'll make them more like my car's key fob, and leave it in the doctor's office instead. Nobody ever hits the "lock" button instead of the "unlock" button, right?

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Redlemon

Perhaps they could wire in a LED or something.

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ASU2003

That skin is pretty thin. It would be cool to have glowing balls. Red for fertile, green for non-fertile.

SERPENT7

Shit, dude, I'd get it just so my balls would glow!
That would be SA-WEEET!