A non-hormonal, reversible and non-toxic male birth control could be a step closer, with scientists successfully targeting a protein that's crucial in making fertile sperm. Knocking this protein out for a period of time would give men control over their protection window, much like oral…
The Caveat is that it is permanent and irreversible with very few exceptions.
Exactly, one of the best decisions I ever made
That’s kinda the point
Also why it isn’t a replacement for birth control.
There’s actually a pretty high success rate for surgical reversal. Some clinics hitting 90%. Still, not ideal.
Successful reversal meaning they managed to glue the tubes back together. Successful pregnancies are significantly lower afaik
Yeah, but how available are those clinics to the average person? I’ve never looked into it personally, but I assume travel is necessary and costs are out of pocket.
Absolutely a correct take, I’d say. I know that my insurance would cover it but this is the first time that I’ve EVER had insurance that would touch anything related to fertility (beyond female birth control) with a 10ft pole. I’d say that it’s fair to say that the average person in the US does not have access, mainly due to the awful level of “normal” for healthcare accessibility.
I’ve looked into it recently, myself. I wanted to see if the snip was an option due to how hormonal birth control impacts by wife. With the desire to still have kids at some point, it’s not a sure enough thing currently and is not recommended for people like me (“if you’re looking into reversibility, it’s probably not for you”). When I last looked a decade ago, success rates were topping out around 60-70%. Advances in surgical technique and technology have really improved things though. If only something like vasalgel would actually see availability - I’m not confident though, after two decades of failure.
Another caveat is that it’s not allowed for men under 25 in my country (Sweden). “My body - my choice” only applies to one gender lol
edit: Although, to be fair, sterilisation is also not allowed for women under 25. They do ofc have many more options though