Benefits

The benefits are many and are available to the man, the woman and the entire family.

  • A permanent method of birth control
  • Prevention of unplanned pregnancy
  • Peace of mind

These benefits are easily achievable in a simple and safe 15 minute procedure under local anaesthesia.

The vasectomy offers men the control over their reproduction, and alleviates the dependence on their partner’s compliance to their own birth control methods.

The vasectomy offers women the benefit of avoiding the risks of pregnancy and childbirth, the possibility of stopping hormonal birth control, and avoiding tubal ligation (female sterilization).

Risks

Vasectomy is a very safe and low risk procedure. As with any surgery however, some complications may occur.

  • Mild bruising is the most common reaction and usually subsides within the first week.
  • Sperm granuloma, which is a small bump on the vas as a result of the natural sealing of the canal, is another expected outcome. This tiny lump will subside over time and should be undetectable within a year of the procedure.
  • Other rare complications include infection (very rare and can be treated with antibiotics), and bleeding into the scrotum causing a collection of blood (scrotal hematoma).
  • 5% of men may experience pain as a result of inflammation several weeks after the procedure, which usually only lasts a few days and can be resolved with oral anti-inflammatory medications such as Advil or Motrin.
  • Chronic pain in the testicle, known as post-vasectomy pain syndrome, is extremely rare and occurs in 1 in 10,000 vasectomies.

The vasectomy’s extremely low failure rate of 0.03% is another added benefit for the family as a whole. Birth control pills have a failure rate of 5%, and tubal ligation failures (although rare) can lead to increased risk of dangerous complications. Therefore, since the complications rare, the procedure is simpler and safer, and can be done in a doctor’s office, why not choose a vasectomy?