Rebecca came up with the idea for this sperm-stopping sauna after being diagnosed with cancer precursor cervix due to contraception with the pill. She wanted to find a safer alternative for contraception and turned her focus to men, rather than looking to traditional methods that address women. She unveiled the results of her work as part of her master thesis.

Called COSO, the Apple-like device is described on the site as an “ultrasound-based, reversible and hormone-free male contraceptive device for home use.”

To use this baby-blocking bidet, the bather simply adds water up to the indicated mark which is set together with a doctor according to individual testicle size. After heating the water up to the required temperature, the testicle bearer then spreads his legs and sits down to place said testicles in the device.

The ultrasound process continues for a few minutes. The remaining time can be monitored in real-time via the COSO app. After the treatment, the device switches off automatically.

Possibly the best description for the process was provided by IFL Science . suggesting “you teabag your way to (temporary) infertility.”

Can you imagine the television advertising for this bad boy? You can just picture the scene, sweat-clad muscular male girthed in a loincloth walks purposefully into a candlelit carved stone chamber to the accompaniment of soft chanting in the background. The COSO rests on a lowered plinth, bathed in a ray of moonlight. The camera pans away as the loincloth hits the floor and… (some teabagging is not for public consumption).

How does it work?

Joking aside, the product works and one dunking can result in a few months worth of vastly immobilized sperm. The effects are not permanent and your legions will recover their full motility in time. The COSO’s prophylactic process works by employing ultrasound deep heat for several minutes to temporarily halt sperm mobility in the testicles, effectively preventing swimmers from fertilizing the female egg.

The COSO must be used for the first time under your doctor’s advice and takes around two weeks before the full effects kick in, after which it needs to be employed every couple of months to work. As its effects only last a maximum of six months, it won’t permanently prevent men from becoming fathers. Weiss says;

“COSO offers a user-friendly contraceptive approach that is easy to use without any kind of physical intervention, pain, or previously known side effects.”

Which in turn is fantastic news for women, who for decades have been forced to resort to invasive birth control devices and medications with questionable safety profiles to stave off unwanted pregnancies. The burning question is though, will men willingly adopt the COSO?

The answer is probably not, they’ll require a little coercion, which shouldn’t prove to be a hurdle. I suspect our female counterparts may possess all the incentives required.

According to IFL Science, progress on COSO has been slow, which experts attribute to a reluctance by pharmaceutical companies to invest in male birth control. While studies support COSO’s efficacy, getting men to attend multiple contraceptive appointments will prove a challenge.

COSO now faces a clinical testing phase so it can finally be made available to the public. Watch this space and work on those puns in the interim.

The post Teabag Your Way to Infertility with the Genital Jacuzzi appeared first on Medika Life.

The problem is the male-dominant Missouri senators did not pay attention during their junior high health class. The Senators who want to control Missouri women seem to have no idea how contraception methods actually work.

The Kansas City Star detailed a heated debate in the Missouri legislature over contraceptive access, causing Obstetrician gynecologists, like me, to shake their heads at the lack of sexual health knowledge.

Here is the background of what triggered this debate.

Like many states, Missouri partially funds Medicaid, a federal program providing health access to low-income people, through a hospital tax. Most funding for Medicaid comes from the Federal Government, but states do have to pay a share.

Missouri’s $4 billion hospital tax is set to expire in September and must be renewed. The renewal of the current hospital tax has nothing to do with contraception coverage. The bill continues the hospital tax already in place, allowing the state to fund Medicaid and receive Federal dollars in return.

So how did access to birth control enter the debate on a bill that has nothing to do with contraception?

A group of senators is withholding support for the hospital tax renewal unless the state bans contraceptive methods that cause abortion. The problem is none of the birth control methods being debating cause abortions. Federal law bars the use of Medicaid funds for abortions through the Hyde Amendment.

Missouri is holding up Medicaid funding to block contraceptive methods that reduce unplanned pregnancies and reduce the number of abortions. 

 The problem is none of the methods in Missouri’s proposed ban cause abortions. Our views on abortion vary, but we must understand the fundamental science to have a meaningful discussion. 

Our country’s public policy and heated social media debates should at least be based on facts.

Plan B is not an abortion pill. Stop calling it that.

Plan B is the brand name of one form of emergency contraception. Emergency birth control prevents pregnancy and is not an abortion medication.

RU486 (Mifepristone) is a medication used to induce abortion. Abortion medication terminates a pregnancy and is not a form of emergency contraception. 

Plan B and RU486 are not the same medication. Plan B and RU486 are not the same things at all.

Emergency contraception (EC) contains progesterone, a hormone produced naturally by the ovaries. It is often called “the morning after” pill. Common brands, such as Plan B, are available over the counter without a prescription.

Emergency contraception is formulated with a high dose of progesterone. This hormonal blast disrupts, delays, or prevents ovulation. High-dose progesterone also thickens the cervical mucus creating a toxic environment for sperm. It will not terminate an already established pregnancy.

Progesterone does not cause abortion. Emergency contraception decreases the risk of pregnancy by inhibiting ovulation. If conception has already occurred, then it is too late for emergency contraception. 

Once pregnancy occurs, the ovary forms a type of ovary cyst called a corpus luteum. It produces progesterone to support the growing pregnancy. Taking emergency contraception will only add more progesterone to support the developing fetus.

Obstetrician gynecologists and infertility doctors often give extra Progesterone to high-risk pregnancies to help prevent miscarriages. 

Banning funding for Plan B will not reduce the number of abortions because it does not cause them in the first place. Plan B will not terminate an already established pregnancy. 

When people take Plan B within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse, it reduces the risk of pregnancy by 70–80%. If a woman is already pregnant and takes Plan B, then nothing happens. Emergency contraception is called Plan B and not Plan A for a reason.

IUDs (intrauterine devices) reduce abortions. They do not cause them. 

Abortion rates in the United States are at historic lows. The national drop in abortions coincided with the passage of the 2008 Affordable Care Act, which made contraception accessible without a copay.

Access to birth control improved. Unintended pregnancy, teen pregnancy, and abortion rates did not just decrease; they plummeted. 

Many public health experts credit the drop in abortion rates to the increased use of Long-acting reversible contraception methods (LARCS). 

Long-acting reversible contraception methods work for an extended period of time after a one-time insertion giving patients the confidence of years of protection. Examples of LARCs are IUDs (Intrauterine Device) and subdermal implants (Nexplanon).

An IUD is a small device inserted into the cavity of the uterus. There are currently five IUDs available in the US — Kyleena, Skyla, Mirena, Paragard, and Liletta. Nexplanon is the only subdermal implant available.

After removing these devices, the return to fertility is almost immediate, with pregnancies seen as early as seven days after removal. LARCS demonstrate the lowest failure rates, highest continuation rates, excellent safety profiles, minimal side effects, and few medical contraindications.

Missouri Senators need to know IUDs do not cause abortions. 

Progesterone IUDs have three main mechanisms of action:

1. The progesterone thickens cervical mucous blocking sperm from getting past the first line of defense.
2. Progesterone creates a vaginal environment that kills sperm after ejaculation.
3. These IUDs also reduce fallopian tube motility making it more difficult for an egg to travel from the ovary to the uterus.

Copper IUDs release copper ions that create an inflammatory state. Sperm do not survive in this environment. Sperm dies at the level of the cervix and the endometrium. Copper IUDs kill sperm and inhibit its ability to swim towards the egg.

The idea that IUDs allow pregnancy to occur and then cause an abortion is outdated and not supported by scientific evidence.

Missouri Senators owe it to themselves and their constituents to learn contraceptive basics before passing bills that limit individual liberty. 

Birth control access has reduced the number of US abortions to historic lows. Pro-life and Pro-choice constituents agree the reduction in the need for abortions is great news for US Women. We are on the same team on this issue. 

Missouri Senators may reverse our project in abortion reduction by passing a bill that reduces access to birth control and increases the number of unplanned pregnancies and abortions. 

Missouri women should not be punished because the Legislature did not pay attention in Junior High Health classes. 

The post Missouri Debates Birth Control Ban Without Knowing How Contraception Works appeared first on Medika Life.

“I don’t want to take birth control”

I get it. Taking contraception can be frustrating for many patients. Women don’t want to use contraception for a variety of reasons. Some do not like the idea of having a foreign object such as an arm implant or an IUD (intrauterine device) in their body.

Others do not like the hormonal changes associated with birth control pills. Some gain weight on the Depo-Provera shot. Others experience a decrease in their sex drive when on birth control.

The sperm and the egg do not care what we think

The preference to avoid birth control must be weighed against the desire to avoid pregnancy. I 100% support any woman’s right to choose what she wants to do with her body. If she chooses to be sexually active with men, then it is imperative for her to decide if she is ready and willing to get pregnant. Statistically, 90% of couples will get pregnant within 12 months of unprotected intercourse.

We often have to do things we don’t like to achieve our goals

Throughout our lives, we must make choices. Some are easy, and others are tough. We must be willing to accept certain things that we don’t like to be able to do the things we want. I would love to eat cookies and cake and not gain weight. Unfortunately, the scale in my bathroom does not agree.

We must accept that our actions have consequences

Most prefer the physical sensation of intercourse without condoms. But when we are not in a safe, monogamous relationship the safer choice is to use condoms. Condoms decrease the risk and prevent sexually transmitted infections. We sacrifice some pleasure now to protect ourselves against future problems.

Birth control gives you freedom

If you want to have sex and do not wish to be pregnant, then selecting a birth control method that works for you is a critical step to empower you to be in control of your body. Many argue about which form of contraception is best. My answer is the best birth control is the one that you will use.

There is no right answer for everyone. Finding a method that suits you allows you the freedom to take control of your fertility.

The post No One Likes Taking Birth Control appeared first on Medika Life.