Vasectomy requires a 20-30 minute surgery in which the “vasa deferentia” or the main duct through which semen travels is cut.

According to medics at the Family Planning Technology Centre in Guangzhou, China, the new method involves making a small incision along the testicle into which doctors place a tiny tube.

The tube functions as a filter that blocks sperm. To stop the effect, doctors simply remove the tube again, in contrast to a vasectomy that can be difficult to reverse, the Daily Mail reported. The new method, which takes about 10 minutes, could give men a birth control alternative as early as next year, the scientists said.

The Chinese medics have patented the technique and are waiting for approval from the National Food and Drug Administration. “The success rate for this form of birth control is 97 percent,” said Zhu Jiaming, vice-president of the Guangzhou Sexology Association.

“It is very difficult and requires highly skilled doctors,” said Wu Weixiong, director of the Family Planning Technology Centre.