FDA approves new home sperm count test
So, a guy decides he doesn't want any more children, gets up his nerve to have a vasectomy, researches online to find one of the top vasectomy docs who treats vasectomy as an art form, and it's done in a flash. What next? Well, theoretically, he and his partner use another form of contraception for three months, until he goes back to the doctor to confirm that everything is going according to plan. But it can be tempting to skip the sperm count three months after the vasectomy… Lives get busy, you know?
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 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 help reduce the number of accidental post-vasectomy pregnancies. Men who go to one of the top vasectomy pros (doctors who do thousands of vasectomies a year and use all the latest techniques) and then use a backup contraceptive as prescribed almost never have accidental pregnancies. However, after a vasectomy performed by an average doctor, it is possible for the vas ends to grow back together ("recanalize"). A study published in the Journal of Urology in July 2005 showed that of 43,642 vasectomies, 1 in 238 resulted in failure or recanalization. This clearly indicates the importance of a post-vasectomy sperm count.
Men can get SpermCheck Vasectomy from their doctors following vasectomy, or buy it directly. The other two home sperm count tests available online are priced below $100, and we're hoping this one will be priced similarly.
If you're not interested in a vasectomy, how does this information affect you? In addition to making post-vasectomy testing more convenient, these sperm count tests set the stage for new male contraceptives. Oral compounds that work for weeks or months would be more practical if men had an easy way to be sure they were working. If ultrasound's action is confirmed and should safety testing and development proceed, that research would benefit, too. SpermCheck Vasectomy kits could also be useful for the dedidcated do-it-youself men who use heat methods — testes-only hot baths or suspensory underwear.
The makers say they'll have SpermCheck Vasectomy on the market this summer. SpermCheck Vasectomy joins two other brands: Fertell, a simple, recently-introduced test that can tell whether sperm are good swimmers; and Micra Home Sperm Analysis, a microscope men can use to assess sperm counts many times. Both of these products are available online without a prescription for under $100.
Read more
SpermCheck developers’ University of Virginia press release
SpermCheck manufacturer ContraVac’s website
Micra Home Sperm Analysis kit description
