Vasectomy provides a permanent form of birth control for men. Is it right for you?
Vasectomy is a surgical procedure that permanently makes a man unable to father a child (sterile). It involves severing and sealing the two tubes (vasa deferentia) that carry sperm from your testicles to your seminal fluid (semen). After the procedure, your semen will not contain sperm, so when you ejaculate during sexual intercourse, you'll be unable to get a woman pregnant.
Worldwide, about 50 million men have had a vasectomy. Each year, approximately 500,000 American men undergo the procedure. More American married couples rely on it for family planning than on any other method except female sterilization (tubal ligation) and birth control pills (oral contraceptives). Because a vasectomy often can't be reversed, you need to carefully consider the pros and cons before choosing it.
Who is it for?
Most men who seek vasectomies have been married for at least 10 years. If you're considering a vasectomy, it's essential that you and your partner both want a permanent form of birth control. Vasectomy may be an option if:
- You and your partner agree that you have all the children you want
- You and your partner are unable or unwilling to use another birth control method
- Your partner has a health condition that makes pregnancy unsafe
You may want to forgo vasectomy if you're:
- Unsure about having children in the future
- In an unstable relationship
- Motivated primarily by a desire to please your partner
- Young, with many life changes ahead
- Single, divorced or separated
- Counting on having children later by having the vasectomy reversed or freezing your sperm
It's not uncommon for men to consider vasectomy in response to a stressful situation such as an illness, financial setback, death in the family or birth of a child. Because the stress may be temporary, however, it's better to seek counseling or psychotherapy to help you cope than to undergo a surgical procedure you may later regret.
Before deciding on a vasectomy, you and your partner should consider its long-term implications. Ask yourself how you'd feel if you had a vasectomy and:
- One of your children died
- Your financial situation improved so that you could afford another child
- You and your partner separated or divorced, or your partner died
How do you prepare?
Doctors usually perform vasectomies in an office or family planning clinic. The cost ranges from $150 to $1,200, about one-quarter of the expense of the more complicated tubal ligation surgery used for female sterilization. Most insurance policies cover at least some of the cost.
After choosing a doctor, meet with him or her to discuss the procedure, risks and potential complications. It's best to include your partner in this initial consultation.
If you're worried that a vasectomy might somehow make you less of a man, now is the time to bring up such concerns. Your doctor can reassure you that sterility won't affect your virility. Because the testicles continue to produce the same amount of the male sex hormone testosterone after a vasectomy, the procedure should have no effect on your sex drive or your ability to get an erection. A vasectomy will not affect your body composition and other male characteristics. You'll still have the same muscle mass, facial hair and voice. Nor should a vasectomy noticeably reduce the volume of your ejaculate, since semen consists almost entirely of fluids produced by the prostate and other glands.
Two weeks before and after your vasectomy, don't take aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) and ketoprofen (Orudis) because they can thin your blood and cause bleeding. Instead, use acetaminophen (Tylenol) if you need to relieve pain.