Question: What expression will a man be wearing when he comes back to the clinic for his post-vasectomy sperm count follow up? Answer: Who knows, because often he doesn’t come back!
The FDA has just approved a new home sperm count test, SpermCheck Vasectomy, which should help address this problem. SpermCheck Vasectomy is similar to a home pregnancy test for women. It is the first test sensitive enough to detect very low numbers of sperm, and the first at-home test to receive FDA approval for sperm testing after vasectomy. Because other single-use sperm count tests on the market use a much higher threshold to assess potential male infertility, those tests are minimally useful for confirming vasectomy success.
The SpermCheck manufacturer expects that the device will greatly increase the compliance of recently vasectomized men with post-op follow up, and reduce the number of unintended post-vasectomy pregnancies. Men are typically advised to wait 20 ejaculations or 12 weeks before having unprotected sex, but they sometimes don’t. Recanalization is also an issue. Although the risk of pregnancy is lower following vasectomy by surgeons who perform more than 50 vasectomies per year and use the latest techniques, a study published in the Journal of Urology showed that of 43,642 vasectomies, 1 in 238 resulted in failure or recanalization. This clearly indicates the importance of both post-vasectomy semen testing and subsequent testing for recanalization.
Clinicians will be able to provide SpermCheck Vasectomy to their patients following their vasectomy, or men can purchase SpermCheck Vasectomy directly from the manufacturer. Pricing has not yet been determined, but similar products for determining subfertility are priced below $100, and we expect SpermCheck will be priced similarly. It will be interesting to see whether SpermCheck Vasectomy will be included in the cost of the vasectomy for reimbursement purposes.
In addition to making post-vasectomy testing more private, these sperm count tests set the stage for new male contraceptives. Oral compounds that appear to work for weeks or months would be more practical if men had an easy way to be sure they were working. Should ultrasound's action be confirmed and should safety testing and development proceed, that research would benefit, too. We also hear quite frequently from men who are using heat methods — testes-only hot baths or suspensory underwear — on their own; SpermCheck Vasectomy will be one more tool to help prevent unwanted surprises for these dedicated do-it-yourself types.
SpermCheck Vasectomy should be available starting this summer.
Read more
SpermCheck developers’ University of Virginia press release
SpermCheck manufacturer ContraVac’s website
Micra Home Sperm analysis kit description
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You may see articles about hormonal male contraception online this week. So what's the news? The study they're describing is a meta-analysis, not a new study. It brings together data from 30 published trials, and concludes that adding a progestin to testosterone-based male hormonal contraception makes it significantly more effective. Here's what to communicate to interested patients or colleagues: hormonal contraception for men has been under study for 35 years, but there are no products on the market yet; this study suggests that the best approach would be to combine androgens and progestins, rather than giving androgens alone.
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Study: Progestin May Hold Key to Male Birth Control
Fox News, 25 March
Breakthrough claimed in male contraceptives
Washington Times, 26 March
Male Contraception Hormone Combination Gains Standing
MedPage Today, 26 March
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This Friday, a US News & World Report blogger and columnist wrote a thoughtful piece trying to digest the week’s male contraception news. If the “breakthrough” the press reported in hormonal male contraception is really more of an evolutionary step, what else is out there that’s close to ready? Can men be selective about the type of contraceptive they choose to use without earning women’s scorn, or will some women only be satisfied if men suffer as they have? Check out the thought-provoking story and links and add your opinion to the brief survey; there’s also space for comments.
Should Men Care That Male Birth Control Options Are Languishing?
US News & World Report, 28 March
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Any day now, the issue of Popular Science briefly covering male contraception research should be hitting newsstands. Popular Science is the world's largest science and technology magazine, with 6.5 million monthly readers and a bigger circulation than Vanity Fair, BusinessWeek, or the New Yorker. Hot on its heels will be a piece in Men's Health directing readers to the survey at MaleContraceptives.org. Expect more and more men and women to be asking you about these emerging family planning methods! As always, you can keep up to date — and tell your clients they can keep up to date — at MaleContraceptives.org.
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Editors
Elaine Lissner, Director of the Male Contraception Information Project (MCIP)
Email: info@NewMaleContraception.org
MCIP is entirely nonprofit and works in three areas: raising public awareness of promising nonhormonal male contraceptives, advocating increased and expedited government research, and serving as a resource for journalists who wish to write about the subject.
Kirsten Thompson, Director of the Male Contraception Coalition (MCC)
Email: info@MaleContraceptives.org
The Coalition’s objectives are to speed the development of new male contraceptives through increased legislative and institutional support, to raise funds for applied male contraception research and development, and to educate the public about the work of the research community.
