[update coming summer 2012]
In immunological approaches to contraception, the body is tricked into attacking its own sperm. Recently, a notable success in a small monkey study got wide press coverage (O’Rand M et al., 2004). However, immunological approaches have been plagued by uncertain return of fertility — and inter-species differences make animal successes more difficult to translate to humans than with other methods. For a thorough overview of immunocontraceptive research, see MaleContraceptives.org.
One doctor in Yugoslavia is sending electrical shocks through the testes to reportedly disable the sperm for about ten days (Ananova, 2005). However, based on other researchers’ results with similar approaches, this approach may lead to tissue death and lowered testosterone levels over time (personal communication, Prof. S.K. Guha , Nov. 14, 2005).
We are updating!
We are in the process of transitioning our website in July/August 2012. Many reference links will be broken. Please check back at the end of the summer for expanded, updated content. In the meantime, the archived version of our site is still available in case you need a particular link or reference.