Vasectomy (sterilisation for men)

Written by Dr David Delvin, GP and family planning specialist

When can you have sex again?

You can have sex as soon as you feel like it after the operation (some men have sex within hours), but you'll need to use an additional contraceptive method for a while.

Yes – you will produce semen. It will look just the same as before and the volume should be the same.

Does sterilisation work immediately?

After the operation, you will still have some sperm left in the tubes that lead to the penis. This means that you must use another contraceptive method for the time being.

About two to three months after your surgery, you'll need to have a semen test to see if all the sperm have gone. Many surgeons like to make really sure by doing two tests.

Once you have been reassured that no sperm can be seen in your ejaculate - under a microscope - then you can rely on your vasectomy without using any back-up contraception.

But there is still a tiny failure rate. Occasionally, men who have had vasectomies find they have sired a child.

Can vasectomy make you impotent?

Vasectomy does not cause impotence (erectile dysfunction). But it is easy to see that a man who already has psychological problems about sex could feel that his potency is threatened by the operation.

This is why every man who wants to have a vasectomy should have careful preliminary counselling.

If you are troubled by deep castration fears, and are terrified by the whole idea of the operation, then don't go ahead.

Similarly, anybody who has difficulties with getting or maintaining an erection is probably not the best candidate for a vasectomy.

Is vasectomy 100 per cent effective against pregnancy?

Vasectomy is not 100 per cent effective. Occasionally, pregnancies do happen. In Britain, estimates are that one in every 2000 vasectomies fails. This generally isn't anybody's fault.

Are there any long-term consequences of vasectomy?

We can't answer this question for certain, because it's only in recent years that vasectomy has become popular - so relatively little research has been done.

As of yet, there have been no reports of any serious long-term consequences of having the snip.

Some researchers have suggested that blood pressure is higher in men who have had vasectomies, but this has not been proven.

Is vasectomy in any way linked to cancer?

There have been studies that have indicated the risks of prostate cancer and testicular cancer are higher in vasectomised men, but so far nothing has been proven.

Ask the doctor you consult before the operation to tell you if there's been any newly-published research.

Will you regret being sterilised?

You need to accept that having a vasectomy means you will probably never be able to have children again. You may be sure at the moment that you want to go ahead with the operation, but sometimes circumstances change.

Men often change partners at some point in their lives - and a guy who has had a vasectomy will not be able to father children in a new relationship.

What about reversal?

It is possible to reverse a vasectomy, but this procedure is frequently unsuccessful.

There are very few surgeons who can claim a success rate of more than 40 per cent.

Some surgeons claim they have much higher success rates, but it usually turns out they mean that they have succeeded in re-joining the tubes or enabling the man to produce some sperm. This isn't the same thing as achieving fatherhood.

Reversal is now virtually unobtainable on the NHS. So if you are contemplating having a vasectomy, you should be as sure as you possibly can be that you won't regret the decision. The doctor should talk all this over fully with you before the vasectomy.

At present, having a vasectomy-reversal in Britain tends to cost about £4000 – with no guarantee of success. In general, attempts at reversal of vasectomy are more likely to succeed if they are carried out fairly soon after the sterilisation.

If you've had a vasectomy and later want to have children, there is the option of conceiving a child by artificial retrieval of sperm from your testicle. This is then followed by in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) of your partner's egg – in other words, a variant of the test-tube baby technique.

But this is exceedingly expensive, and often does not work.

<<Go To Page 1

The documents contained in this web site are presented for information purposes only. The material is in no way intended to replace professional medical care or attention by a qualified practitioner. The materials in this web site cannot and should not be used as a basis for diagnosis or choice of treatment. Conditions for use



© Copyright 1998 - 2004 NetDoctor.co.uk - All rights reserved