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Two 15 - minute tickling could be the future of manly birth control . New research on rats point that currently available ultrasound machinery could be used to vote out off spermatozoan - growing cells , engineering that could render males infertile .
" Our noninvasive ultrasonography discourse reduced sperm cell reserves in stinkpot far below level normally seen in fertile men , " study researcher James Tsuruta , of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , order in a assertion .
The testis is composed of many tubes called “seminiferous tubules.” The seminiferous tubule on the left is from a testis that was not treated with ultrasound while the tubule on the right is from a testis that was treated with ultrasound.
manly birth controlfor humans is still far from ready for prime time , though , Tsuruta articulate . " Further studies are ask to influence how long the contraceptive effect lasts and if it is safe to apply multiple times . " Further workplace is also want to figure out what specific options exploit best on human race .
Sonic orchis
The researchers used commercially available ultrasound equipment , which is used in strong-arm therapy . They isolate the specific magnate , frequency and temperatures postulate tolower blabber spermatozoon count .
The melodic theme was first suggested in 1970 by Mostafa Fahim , a researcher at the University of Missouri - Columbia , who published several studies of ultrasonography treatment that killed germ cells and get infertility , even test the theory in humans . The machinery Fahim used is no longer available , so the researchers had to start over with commercially available echography equipment and see what would have a like effect to what was observed historically .
Sperm grow in the testes and goes through multiple medium stages . The researchers were aiming to demolish the earliest microscope stage of sperm development , so the discussion , while temporary , would last a few months .
They found that by rotate high - frequency ultrasound around the orchis , they could shoot down most of the spermatozoon - make cells . The good results were seen after two 15 - minutes sessions , two days aside . They tested the scab ' sperm two calendar week after their discussion .
They found that these two sessionsreduced the scab ’s sperm countto an index finger of zero , or an extremely dispirited number of motile sperm . They also looked inside and saw that the rats had fewer spermatozoon - reach cells .
unimaginative rats
The study was performed in rats , which aremuch more fertile than humans . In the crumb , the sperm concentration fall upon — 3,000 motile sperm or few per milliliter — would still allow them to reproduce . In human race that low of a sperm count would beconsidered infertile .
In world , a scummy sperm count is defined as anything under 15 million sperm per milliliter ; other lasting sterilization function , such as a vasectomy , lessen sperm concentration to 3 million spermatozoan per milliliter .
" A permanent or reversiblemethod of contraceptionbased on curative ultrasound intervention could encourage more men to share greater responsibility for kinsfolk planning , " the investigator write in the subject area , write online in the daybook Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology on Jan. 29 .
The researchers also mark this tolerant ofultrasonicsterilization may be adapted to induce permanent sterility , provide a noninvasive way to sterilize house pets to control the favored population .
