Bypassing surgery.Men who don't want to undergo a vasectomy vasectomy, male sterilization by surgical excision of the vas deferens, the thin duct that carries sperm cells from the testicles to the prostate and the penis. may soon have an alternative: the Intra Vas Device. Developed by the Shepherd Medical Company in Vancouver by Dr. Neil Pollock, the IVD (Interactive VideoDisc) See interactive video. is analogous to the IUD IUD Definition An IUD is an intrauterine device made of plastic and/or copper that is inserted into the womb (uterus) by way of the vaginal canal. One type releases a hormone (progesterone), and is replaced each year. for women; it's a flexible, hollow silicone plug, about a millimeter in diameter, that's inserted into the vas deferens vas deferens: see reproductive system; vasectomy. to block the flow of semen. The outpatient procedure to implant the plug takes only about 20 minutes under local anesthetic, and it's anticipated that the IVD can be removed later, if desired, in a similar procedure, re-establishing sperm flow. The U.S. National Institutes of Health has awarded Shepherd a $1.4 million grant to conduct further human clinical trials. |
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