Mesh Intra Vas Device

• Scientists in China are testing the mesh IVD with the hope that it will solve some of the long-term problems of vasectomies. Doctors insert a mesh "filter" into the vas deferens to block sperm from traveling down the tubes. The mesh IVD works like a sieve in allowing other ejaculate fluids to leave the body, preventing the buildup of fluid that causes some men post-vasectomy discomfort.
  
  

Plug Intra Vas Device

• The IVD plug involves blocking the vas deferens with a small plug. Some American companies are researching silicone plugs while Chinese scientists are studying a urethane and nylon-based plug. These plugs block the flow of sperm through the tubes by reducing the space through which the sperm can travel. Only fluids able to squeeze around the plug would be able to get through.
  
  

Polymer Gel

• A polymer gel inserted into the vas deferens would create a thin, hardened layer along the vas deferens wall. Because sperm are too large to swim along the vas deferens without touching the wall, the gel would destroy the sperm membranes on contact. By the time the semen reached the penis, no live sperm would remain. The polymer gel is reversible in about 150 days in other primates.
  
  

Clips

• Vas deferens clips are tiny clips clamped onto the vas deferens. Though this method of blocking the vas deferens is more permanent than the IVDs and gels, the procedure is less invasive and requires less recovery time than a traditional vasectomy.