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Who can be
sterilised?
After careful consideration, any
man can choose to be sterilised by having a
vasectomy - though surgeons are generally
unwilling to do the operation on very young men,
especially those without children.
It is a much simpler procedure than
the sterilisation of women, and can be done on an
outpatient basis. In many parts of the UK it is
available free under the NHS, although in others
you have to pay for it privately.
Who should you
contact?
Go either to your GP, or to a
Family Planning Clinic, or to a clinic that
advertises vasectomy.
The doctor will tell you how the
sterilisation procedure works and inform you of
the risks involved.
They will probably also want to
discuss other types of contraception with you, and
make sure that you are really happy with the idea
of vasectomy - and that you understand that
basically you are taking this decision for life.
Will you regret
being sterilised?
It is important to realise that
having a vasectomy means that you will never be
able to have children again. You may be certain at
the moment that you want to go ahead with the
operation, but of course sometimes circumstances
change. Men nowadays often change partners at some
point in their lives - and a man who has had a
vasectomy will not be able to father children in a
new relationship.
You may have heard that it is
possible to have a vasectomy reversed, but this
procedure is frequently unsuccessful. As of 2001,
there are very few surgeons who can claim a
successful reversal rate of over 40 per cent.
In addition, it is not easily
available 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
with you.
What happens during
the operation?
If you are certain about your
decision to have a vasectomy, the operation itself
is simple and can be carried out in a clinic,
hospital outpatient department, or sometimes even
a GP's surgery. Some surgeons do it under local
anaesthetic, others under a general
anaesthetic. Usually, you'll be able to go home
after a couple of hours or so.
During the operation the surgeon
makes a little cut on each side of the scrotum so
that he can reach the tubes that carry sperm (vas
deferens). He will then remove a small piece of
each tube, or cut them and close the ends.
Will
you have any problems afterwards?
Most men are just a bit sore and
bruised afterwards. But a few develop bleeding or
marked swelling, or a temperature. If any of these
things happen, contact a doctor.
You should wear an athletic support
(a 'jock strap') for a week or so after the
vasectomy to ease the discomfort. Getting into a
warm bath is also very soothing.
When can you have
sex again?
You can have sex as soon as you
feel like it, but you'll need to use an additional
contraceptive method for a while - see below.
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 should use another
contraceptive method for the time being. About
three months after your surgery, you'll need to
have two semen tests - two to four weeks apart -
to see if all the sperm have gone. Once you have
had two clear tests - where no sperm can be seen
in your ejaculate under a microscope - then you
can rely on your vasectomy without using any
back-up contraception.
Can vasectomy make
you impotent?
Vasectomy does not cause impotence.
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.
Therefore, everyone who wants to have a vasectomy
should have careful preliminary counselling.
Is vasectomy 100
per cent effective against pregnancy?
Please bear in mind that vasectomy
-– in common with all other methods of
contraception - is not 100 per cent effective.
Occasionally, pregnancies do occur. As of 2001, it
is estimated that about one in 1000 vasectomies
'fails'. But the failure rate would be higher if
you made the mistake of going to a doctor who
doesn't do many vasectomies! So be sure you got to
someone who does this operation all the time. |
