You'll soon be able to turn your sperm off at the flick of a switch

From the moment a man receives his first knock to a testicle, he forms a pressing awareness that he needs to regard them with a greater deal of care than most other aspects of his anatomy.

So it's with an intrigued crossing of the legs that we hear that German entrepreneur Clemens Bimek claims to have invented a switch that could do away with the invasive (and largely irreversible) vasectomy procedure and offer men a chance to control the release of sperm.

The Bimek SLV is a 'spermatic duct valve' - a small switch that could be surgically implanted into testicular tubing (the vas deferens), preventing the flow of sperm from reaching the point where it is mixed with seminal fluids before ejaculation.

When turned 'on' (oh grow up), the duct valve would redirect the sperm to the testicles in a similar manner to clamping that occurs for a vasectomy. A switch would have to be added for the tubes of both the left and right testicle - a surgical process that Bimek claims would only take 30 minutes, and would see the patient able to return home within 24 hours.

Measuring seven by 11 by 18 millimetres, the valve operates with a 'rocker' switch: in the upward position, it will block the flow of seamen - with men able to change the switch position through the thin skin of the scrotum rather than having to return for a second operation.

However, the Bimek SLV wouldn't prevent the flow of sperm with immediate effect. "After the valve is closed there will still be sperm cells present in your ejaculatory fluids for up to 3 months or about another 30 ejaculations," explains Bimek's website. "To be completely sure of sterility it is essential that you undergo a sperm analysis, or spermiogram, with a urologist. This is the only way to be 100 per cent sure."

So far Mr Bimek is the only man to have the switch implanted, with the final model looking to receive crowd funding and undergo rigorous clinical trials before it's available to the wider market. 

Would you opt for getting a Bimek SLV valve over a vasectomy? Let us know your thoughts below.