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The Bimek SLV – The Modern Contraceptive for any Man. Right?

| 17. May 2016

During the development of his spermatic duct valve Clemens Bimek actually had only one, although one very large, target group in mind: men. All men. Is this possible though? Can every man wear the Bimek SLV?

There aren’t many things in the world, for which there are no exclusion criteria. It would be very idealistic to hope that for the Bimek SLV it would be otherwise. With almost 7.5 billion people worldwide and a male portion of about 50 percent there will quite certainly be candidates who, at the end of the day, may be unable to have the SLV implanted.

After a vasectomy
In principle implanting the Bimek SLV after having had a vasectomy is possible – there are however certain prerequisites that need to be met.
Where was the spermatic duct cut and is this section now a suitable position for the valve in the scrotum? It has to be taken into account that the scarred ends of the spermatic ducts also need to be severed. If these lie too close to the testicles then there is not sufficient space for the valve. It simply cannot be attached.
If the vasectomy was already performed many years ago, the backed-up sperm cells can cause damage to the fine channels in the epididymis. These burst and the maturing sperm cells present come into contact with blood. They are then regarded as foreign bodies and are subsequently dismantled. The maturation of new sperm cells is then impaired, or stopped.
Ergo, the longer the ends of the spermatic ducts protruding from the testicles are and the shorter the period of time since the vasectomy, the higher the possibility is that the implantation of the Bimek SLV will be successful.

Too much spermatic duct
It can happen that a man has not only two, but three or even four spermatic ducts. This rare medical phenomenon is called vas duplex. It is not actually an exclusion criterion for the implantation of the Bimek SLV. Should there be enough space available, it is then possible to have additional valves implanted under these circumstances. It would however be simpler to have two valves implanted as normal and to cut the other spermatic ducts.

Nickel allergy
One of the most common allergies is nickel allergy. In Germany alone at least one out of every ten is afflicted by the allergy. Rashes, redness and itching are symptoms that occur as soon as they come into contact with belt buckles, buttons, jewelry or even certain food products.
The Bimek SLV consists of 95 percent PEEK Optima and 5 percent titanium and phynox. There is a minimal amount of nickel, which is, at 7 milligrams per SLV, so minutely tiny that it does not affect those with nickel allergy. The cobalt-chrome-nickel-super-alloy distinguishes itself with the highest levels of corrosion resistance and the best compatibility in the human body. Thanks to this corrosion resistance the nickel-ions are unable to loosen from the material and drift off into the body.
To this day there is no scientific evidence that nickel, as part of an implant material, is even able to trigger an allergic reaction. Just by eating food and drinking water we already take in more nickel everyday than the SLV would expose the body to.

Not all, but almost all
To sum up, there are criteria that could exclude someone from being able to have the Bimek SLV implanted. The attentive reader probably noted that these are quite negligible. So you’re correct in thinking that not every man could have the SLV implanted. Although, almost any man can.

Picture: Flickr

One response to “The Bimek SLV – The Modern Contraceptive for any Man. Right?”

  1. Very interesting this technique. It seems science fiction. But if you give a result , it is a commendable option for the couple .

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