A 10-minute operation could give men a birth control alternative to a vasectomy as early as next year.

The 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, according to medics at the Family Planning Technology Centre in Guangzhou, China.

To stop the effect doctors simply remove the tube again, in contrast to a vasectomy that can be difficult to reverse...