Male sterilisation: everything about vasectomies

If you don’t want to have children in the future because you already consider your family to be ‘complete’ or because you’ve never wanted to have children in the first place, you may consider a vasectomy. This means that your vas deferens (tubes) are cut or blocked off, thereby permanently sterilising you. When you have an orgasm, your semen won’t contain any sperm anymore. Apart from the fact that you’re not fertile anymore, you won’t notice any difference. An erection and ejaculation feel just like as before: semen will still leave your body when you ejaculate. In short: after a sterilisation you don’t have to worry about unexpected pregnancies and having sex will feel the same as before.

Vasectomy is a permanent sterilisation

If you’re absolutely positive that you don’t want to have any (more) children, a vasectomy is a good idea. It’s a permanent sterilisation, which means that there is no reversing it. Or at least, not really. A vasectomy is a great option if you don’t want to have children, your partner doesn’t want to use contraception anymore, or if using condoms is not an option. Whatever the reason: the procedure has to be performed by your GP or by a surgeon. You have to be 100% sure that you really want it and you have to be able to explain your choice to your doctor. Every now and then, with 1 or 2 in every 200 men, a man is still fertile after having a vasectomy.

This is what to expect with a vasectomy

A vasectomy is a procedure that is performed within 30 minutes under local anaesthesia. Male sterilisation is a relatively easy routine task for a doctor, even though it has permanent consequences for you. The local anaesthesic will be injected first. Then the doctor makes two cuts on both sides of your scrotum, after which he cuts the tubes. You might experience a pulling sensation in the abdomen or groin. The doctor will cauterise the ends of the tubes in order to prevent sperm cells from mixing with your semen. The local anaesthesic will wear off automatically and you can go home right away when the procedure is done. A vasectomy is usually free of charge in most parts of the UK.

Male sterilisation? Take the day off

Even though the procedure is very quick, make sure you don’t have to do anything for the rest of the day. When the local anaesthesic wears off, your scrotum and groin will be very sensitive. The doctor will have put gauzes on the cuts that you cannot remove for at least a day. It is recommended to avoid sex and hard physical labour for a week. Your doctor will probably advise you not to drive yourself home after the vasectomy procedure. Even though the risk factor is low, you don’t want to cause an accident on your way home.

Testosterone levels stay the same: no decreased sex drive

Don’t be afraid that a vasectomy has a negative influence on your sex life. Your sex drive will remain the same after you’re sterilised. The vasectomy doesn’t decrease the production of the male hormone testosterone. Your erections and ejaculations won’t change either. Sperm cells only form a small part of semen, so there won’t be a visible change in the amount of semen you ejaculate.

Semen tastes the same after a vasectomy

A short lesson in biology: semen usually consists of seminal fluids and sperm cells. Seminal fluids are created in the prostate, the cells are created in the testicles. By blocking the tubes, there will be no more sperm in your semen. However, your semen won’t look any different, neither will the taste and smell. The colour, the texture, the amount: everything remain the same. So if your partner loves oral sex, you can tell them that you will still taste the same after the sterilisation procedure.

Fiction: no STD after vasectomy

There are speculations that you cannot transmit an STD when you’ve had a vasectomy. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Even though there are no sperm cells in your semen anymore, you can definitely still transmit a disease. An STD is caused by bacteria or a virus and has nothing to do with your sperm cells or semen.

Use condoms in the first months after your vasectomy

After the procedure, you and your partner still have to use some form of contraception for the first 3 months, like the pill or condoms. Generally, there are still sperm cells present in the semen of the first 25 ejaculations after your vasectomy. It would be an unpleasant surprise if you had a vasectomy and your partner still gets pregnant. Have your semen checked after a couple of months to make sure there are no sperm cells present. Afterwards, you can enjoy sex without having to worry about contraception.

Vasectomy reversal

An example: you and your wife didn’t want to have any more kids. But after your divorce, you’re in a relationship with another woman and now you do want have kids. So now what? There’s an option to reverse the vasectomy. But this isn’t always successful. During the recovery surgery, the doctors will try to reverse the sterilisation. This is very expensive and there is a real chance that it’s unsuccessful. During the operation, the cut tubes will be attached again to order to make you fertile. The chance of getting your partner pregnant after the vasectomy reversal is about 40 to 50%.