Candidates for Vasectomy

Vasectomy should be considered permanent.  Men considering vasectomy should be certain that he does not want to father a child under any circumstances. It is important to talk to one’s partner; to make the decision together. Other forms of birth control should be considered. Talking to a friend or relative who has had a vasectomy may be helpful.  A vasectomy might not be right for you if you are very young, your current relationship is not stable, you are having the vasectomy just to please your partner, you are under a lot of stress, or you are counting on being able to reverse the procedure later.  That said, sperm banking prior to vasectomy should be discussed. Since sperm loses half of its vitality after freezing and thawing, 2 – 3 specimens should be banked. 

A vasectomy will interrupt the vas deferens, the tubular structure that carries sperm from the testes to the semen.  The penis and testes are not altered in any way. A vasectomy will not alter a man's sensation of orgasm and pleasure.  The operation has no noticeable impact on the man's ability to perform sexually, nor does it affect the balance of male hormones, male sex characteristics, or sex drive.  The body still produces semen, and erections and ejaculation occur normally. There is no noticeable change in the amount of fluid that comes out during ejaculation. Most of the semen is from the prostate and seminal vesicles; only 2 – 3% is vasal fluid.

A vasectomy is simply a sterilization procedure; once it has been performed, a man's semen will no longer contain sperm and he can no longer father a child. A vasectomy will not prevent a male from getting or passing on a sexually transmitted infection

After vasectomy, contraception is required until sperm are cleared, which typically takes 15 ejaculations or 6 weeks, whichever comes first.