Men's Health

Men's Health Conditions

Vasectomy

What is vasectomy?

Vasectomy is a surgical procedure performed to make a man sterile, or unable to father a child. It is a permanent male birth control measure, and a means of contraception used in many parts of the world.

Generally, vasectomy leaves the patient unchanged except that the vas deferens -- the tubes leading to the testes -- are blocked. The testes still produce sperm, but the sperm die and are absorbed by the body. The level of testosterone remains the same and all male sexual characteristics remain the same. For most men, the ability to have an erection is unchanged.

What are the different types of vasectomy?

Vasectomy Facts

A total of nearly 50 million men have had vasectomies -- a number equal to about 5 percent of all married couples of reproductive age.

Approximately half a million vasectomies are performed in the United States each year. Nearly 1 out of 6 men over age 35 has had a vasectomy.

Among married couples in this country, only female sterilization and oral contraception are relied upon more often for family planning.

Conventional vasectomy:
The conventional method is a surgical procedure that involves small incisions made on each side of a man's scrotum. The tube, called the vas deferens, leading from each testicle is cut and sealed in order to stop sperm from reaching the prostate, where it mixes with the semen. Without sperm in the semen, a man cannot make his partner pregnant.

"No-scalpel" or "nonsurgical" vasectomy:
In the no-scalpel method, rather than making an incision, the physician makes only one tiny puncture into the skin with a special instrument. This same instrument is used to gently stretch the skin opening so that the tubes can be reached easily.

The tubes are then blocked, using the same method as in conventional vasectomy. Because no incision was made, there is little bleeding and no stitches are needed to close the tiny opening. The opening will heal quickly with little or no scarring.

Birth control after vasectomy:

Although a man can usually resume sexual activity soon after vasectomy, precautions should be taken against pregnancy until a test shows that his semen is free of sperm.

A vasectomy procedure only blocks the vas deferens at the point where it was sealed. The vasectomy has no effect on sperm that are already beyond that point. Therefore, it is important to not have unprotected sexual intercourse until the absence of sperm from the ejaculate has been confirmed with two negative sperm checks, 4 to 6 weeks apart. Generally, the test is first performed after the patient has had 10-20 post-vasectomy ejaculations.

Risks or side effects associated with vasectomy:

Although complications such as swelling, bruising, inflammation, and infection may occur after the surgery, they are not common and usually not serious. Men who develop these symptoms, as defined by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), at any time should contact their physicians.

epididymitis/orchitis
A major study -- the Health Status of American Men, or HSAM -- sponsored by NICHD reported that only one condition, epididymitis/orchitis (painful, swollen, and tender epididymis or testis), was found to be more common after vasectomy. This local inflammation most often occurs during the first year after surgery.
immune system reactions
After vasectomy, the testes continue to make sperm. When the sperm cells die, they are absorbed by the body, just as they are in a man who has not had a vasectomy. Sometimes, however, vasectomized men develop immune reactions to sperm.

Sperm usually do not come in contact with immune cells, so they do not elicit an immune response. But, vasectomy breaches the barriers that separate immune cells from sperm, and men can develop anti-sperm antibodies after the surgery. Some physicians and researchers are concerned that these immune reactions against parts of one's own body could cause disease. Rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile diabetes, and multiple sclerosis are some of the illnesses suspected or known to be caused by immune reactions of this type.

prostate cancer risk
Some studies have raised questions about a possible relationship between having a vasectomy and the risk of developing prostate cancer, the most common cancer in American men and the second leading cause of cancer death, after lung cancer.

The strongest evidence for an association between having a vasectomy and the development of prostate cancer is found in two studies, published in the February 17, 1993, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. These studies suggest a weak, positive association and found small increases in risk for developing prostate cancer among men who had undergone a vasectomy.

This page was last updated on: February 1, 2008.

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