Bye, bye, male sterilization: Now comes the fertility switch in the scrotum

Vasectomy, or simply male sterilization, could soon be a thing of the past thanks to a new invention. The German carpenter and inventor Clemens Bimek enables men to control their fertility inside the scrotum by simply flipping the "sperm switch". Some urologists are skeptical, others speak of a medical revolution.

The story of Clemens Bimek is one that amazes and wonders at the same time. It's also a story that earns the listener respect for Bimek's perseverance and will. Because he believes in his idea. It began in front of the television, sometime in the late 90s in a suburb of Berlin. After a hard day at the construction site, Bimek sat exhausted in front of the TV and watched a documentary about contraception. Things weren't going so well at his job right now. The orders were rare. And in his learned profession as a master cabinet maker, things looked even worse. In the documentary, the anatomy of the man was explained: How the sperm are formed in the testicles, flow through the epididymis and the two vas deferens towards the urethra and mix with the ejaculate. And as with the so-called vasectomy, the sterilization, the vas deferens are cut. An operation that often irreversibly ends fertility.

Bimek's first thought when he saw the schematic: Why not just put a valve in each vas deferens? The thought kept circling in his head. He would probably have done so until he eventually disappeared if Bimek hadn't driven past the Berlin Patent Office in Kreuzberg on his way to work every day. Whenever he passed there, he thought about the valve again. And the fact that someone before him must have had the same idea. Eventually he stopped and asked. The officials informed him that there was no patent for a vas deferens valve. "That's how it all started," says Bimek.

Bimek SLV - The New Contraception for Men

So he started tinkering and poring over specialist literature, finding out about possible materials for a valve from medical technology companies. In order to be able to plan the diameter of the valve connections, he even asked pathologists if he could have the vas deferens of a dead person - without success. There was also plenty of head shaking for the busy carpenter from the urological world. "Many doctors I've asked for advice didn't take me seriously. But there were also a few who encouraged me to keep tinkering and who supported me with their expertise," says Bimek. The more he researched and read, the fewer reasons he found against his idea. In the end he actually applied for a patent. In the year 2000 the "locking device for male contraception" was approved. In 2006 he built the first prototype. The Bimek SLV should be able to be inserted into both vas deferens in an operation lasting almost half an hour - similar to a vasectomy. When closed, it prevents the flow of sperm - the man is sterile, but can ejaculate normally during sex with a woman. If he wants to father a child, he flips a switch on the valves that he can feel under the skin in his scrotum. Now he is immediately fertile. Bimek assures that there should be no complaints for the valve carrier. The libido is neither restricted nor there are any other negative health consequences. In addition, neither the two-gram valve the size of a gummy bear nor the switch should be felt.

There are enough arguments for the benefits of its development: Contraception is no longer just a woman's business - more than half of all adults use the pill for contraception. A corresponding product for men has not yet been brought to market. In addition, women would no longer have to grapple with the hormonal burden of the pill, which many people badly tolerate. That would also be good for the environment. Because so far hormonal residues that get into the water cycle via the urine have not been filtered out by sewage treatment plants. This leads to severe water pollution. The cost of the pill, condom or other contraceptive would eventually pay for itself with a valve. The Bimek SLV should last a lifetime - according to the current state of affairs, with a price of probably 3000 euros, it is not cheap. The costs for series production are likely to be significantly lower.