A twice a year blast of ultrasound over the testicles will stop a man producing sperm. Even reserves of sperm will die, leaving him temporarily infertile. The researchers were given money by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, an organization interested in population reduction and vaccines.
The idea behind the research is to provide male sterility equivalent to the contraceptive pill.
The head researcher Dr James Tsuruta said
“We think this could provide men with up to six months of reliable, low-cost, non-hormonal contraception from a single round of treatment.”
However, those involved in the experiments say that they don’t know what the long-term effects of the ultrasound treatment are.
What about Babies?
This begs the question that if just one blast of ultrasound can damage your sperm enough to stop you becoming a dad, just what does it do to the millions of babies who are exposed to ultrasound in the womb? Male foetuses have testicles too. Could the routine use of ultrasound scanning in pregnancy over the last three decades be related to the continuing degradation of sperm quality? Could it be responsible for at least some of the infertility that now affects one in every six couples?
Ultrasound Reduced Testicle Size and Sperm Production in Rats
Earlier research in Ultrasound in Medicine Biology (1995) found that when fetal rats were exposed to ultrasound at various intervals during gestation there was an increase in the number of pups that died after birth, an increase in stillbirths and a decrease in the number of pups per litter. The pups were also lower birth weight compared with pups that hadn’t been exposed to ultrasound. The male pups also had decreased teste size and decreased sperm production of up to 30%. The fact that it has now been shown to kill human sperm is concerning as it shows it may possibly be having a similar effect on baby boys in utero. A study on human women two years before found that those who had ultrasound scans had lower birth weight babies.
Experts have admitted that ultrasound is not entirely safe and several medical organizations including the American Pregnancy Association say that it should only be used where medically indicated.
Perhaps routine use of scans during normal, low risk pregnancies should be reconsidered?
Sources:
- Scientists to test ultrasound as a male contraceptive, BBC News, 11th May 2010. Accessed 19th December 2011.
- Ultrasound 'may harm foetuses', The Independent, 8th October 1993. Accessed 19th December 2011.
- The male Pill? Ultrasound hailed as new contraceptive for men, Daily Mail, 12th May 2010. Accessed 19th December 2011.
- The effect of ultrasound exposure in utero on the development of the fetal mouse testis: adult consequences. Ultrasound in medicine biology (1995), Volume: 21, Issue: 9, Pages: 1247-1257.
- Keepsake Ultrasound Pictures, The American Pregnancy Association. Accessed 19th December 2011.
Joanna Karpasea-Jones - I have been a health writer since 1997 when I published my own newsletter, SHOTS. I have written 2 books on childhood health, and write ...
