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Vasectomy | Benefits and Risks

Vasectomy | Benefits and Risks

Vasectomy | Benefits and Risks

Vasectomy is a permanent form of contraception. During this procedure, the vas deferens is cut surgically. It is the duct that allows the passage of the sperms from the testes to the urethra. Cutting this duct prevents the sperms from reaching urethra and being released during ejaculation.

After undergoing a vasectomy operation, the ejaculate becomes free of all sperms in around three months. Couples are advised to use alternate forms of contraception till this time. At the end of three months, the patient is asked to undergo semen analysis. It is only when the doctor gives his clearance after seeing the test report that vasectomy should be relied upon for contraception. Till then, having unprotected sex may lead to pregnancy.

 

Efficacy of Vasectomy

Vasectomy is one of the most reliable forms of contraception in men. According to the UK National Sterilization Guidelines (2004), the failure rate of vasectomy stands at 1 in 2000 (0.05%) after clearance has been given by the doctor. Let us compare this rate to other means of sterilization.

Tubectomy carries a failure rate of 0.5%, contraceptive pills carry a failure rate of 0.16% to 3%, and barrier contraceptives have a failure rate of 1% to 33%. So we see that vasectomy, when carried out by an experienced hand, is a very dependable form of contraception.

 

Benefits of Vasectomy

Some of the benefits of vasectomy are:

 

Risks of Vasectomy

Like any other surgery, vasectomy also carries certain risks. These include:

 

Reference:

“What are the risks of vasectomy?” by National Institute of Health. Accessed on April 27, 2015, Retrieved from: http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/vasectomy/conditioninfo/pages/risk.aspx

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