​Women are not the only sex that is constantly on the lookout for the best method of birth control. Men realize that condoms are not 100% effective and a vasectomy may be going too far so researchers are looking into other methods and they may have found one using ultrasound technology.

Currently ultrasound technology is utilized to see a growing fetus or to discover where tumors are located in the body, but research on rats suggests that if the testes are exposed to the ultrasound technology it can stop sperm production.

The study reported that the number of sperm was reduced to 3 million for each mL of semen and an official low count by doctors is anything that is less than 20 million per mL. In comparisons done with a control group, the group that was heated using ultrasound technology showed a drop of sperm concentrations that was 10 times more than those just exposed to the same temperature.

The need for a new form of birth control for men is definitely necessary since approximately 70% of couples in the United States utilize contraception and the majority of the responsibility falls on the woman’s shoulders. The process is still in its testing stages though and too many unknown variables exist that make it not possible to test on humans just yet. If the results work the way that the scientists want them to, men would only need to go in to get the treatment every six months.

It needs to be established as a safe procedure that won’t permanently harm fertility before it can be a viable option for men seeking to use birth control. Any information currently released is in its testing stage and should be treated as such without expectations of anything more.