About 90,000 men have a vasectomy each year and it is generally a very safe procedure. However, in order to give informed consent, anyone deciding whether to have a vasectomy needs to be aware of the possible side-effects and the risk of complications.
A vasectomy is an operation that blocks, seals or cuts the tubes (known as the vas deferens) which carry sperm from your testicles to your penis. You will still be able to ejaculate and your ejaculate will look just like before in amount and colour, but will no longer contain any sperm, so you cannot make your partner pregnant. The sperm in your testicles are naturally reabsorbed back into the body and do not build up.
A vasectomy may be appropriate for you if you already have children, are certain that you have completed your family and cannot foresee any change in your future circumstances in which you would want children. A vasectomy may sometimes be appropriate for you if you don’t have any children but are sure that you will never want to father children.
You have to be a minimum of 24 years old, but it is important to know that research has shown that you are more likely to have regrets after a vasectomy later on if you are either under 30 or if you do not have children already. You need to be very sure about your decision and that you fully understand what it will mean. No-one can force you to have the operation if you do not want to.
If you have a partner, you should discuss your wish and agree together which option suits you best as a couple.
There are recognised alternatives to a vasectomy and they will be discussed later in this letter.