| |
Sexual Health Centre
Birth Control |
Vasectomy
Vasectomy is a very simple
surgical procedure that makes a man infertile. It can be done in about
15 minutes in a doctor's office. About 14 percent of Canadian women rely
on this form of birth control. A successful vasectomy is 100 percent effective
in preventing pregnancy (if the woman has only one sexual partner!)
How it's done?
The scrotum
is numbed with an injection but the man remains awake during the procedure.
Two tiny incisions are made. The tubes (called vas deferens) which carry
sperm from the testicles to the penis are severed and the ends are sealed.
Afterwards
Most men recover quickly although
a few men experience pain and swelling for up to two weeks. Infection is
possible but rare. Men are asked to avoid strenuous activity for 48 hours.
It takes about three months for the procedure to be fully effective. A sperm
count is done three months after the procedure to ensure that it has been
successful.
A vasectomy has no negative
effects on a man's sex drive and studies have not shown an association
with prostate cancer. Very rarely, small, sometimes painful, bumps can
develop at the ends of the vas deferens. These bumps usually disappear
on their own, but may be removed surgically if necessary.
Advantages
- one-time procedure
- very effective
- quick recovery
- no need to remember birth
control method
- allows male partner to be
involved in birth control decision-making
- you don't have to interrupt
sex
- no significant long term
side effects
- simplest procedure for permanent
birth control
Disadvantages
- male partner must be willing
- reversal is expensive, difficult
and sometimes impossible
- provides no protection against
sexually transmitted infections
- psychologically difficult
for some men
- birth control must be reconsidered
if a woman switches (or adds) male partners
Back
to index
|
 |
