A Vasectomy is a birth control method in which all or part of a male's vas deferens are surgically removed, thus sterilizing the patient. Vasectomy should not be confused with castration: vasectomy does not involve removal of the testicles and it affects neither the production of male sex hormones (mainly testosterone) nor their secretion into the bloodstream. Therefore sexual desire (libido) and the ability to have an erection and an orgasm with an ejaculation are not affected. Because the sperm itself makes up a very small proportion of the ejaculate, vasectomy does not affect the volume, appearance, texture or flavor of the ejaculate. Similarly, in females, hormone production, libido, and the menstrual cycle are not affected by a tubal ligation.
When the vasectomy is complete, sperm can no longer exit the body through the penis. They are broken down and absorbed by the body. Fluid content is absorbed by membranes in the epididymis, and solid content is broken down by macrophages and re-absorbed via the blood stream. Sperm is matured in the epididymis for about a month once it leaves the testicles, and approximately 50% of the sperm produced never make it to ejaculation in a non-vasectomized man. After vasectomy, the membranes increase in size to absorb more fluid, and more macrophages are recruited to break down and re-absorb the solid content. |
Safety and effectiveness
Early failure rates of vasectomy are below 1%, but the effectiveness of the operation and rates of complications vary with the level of experience of the surgeon performing the operation and the surgical technique used. Early complications, including hematoma, infection, sperm granulomas, epididymitis-orchitis, and congestive epididymitis, occur in 1%–6% of men undergoing vasectomy. The incidence of chronic epididymal pain is poorly documented. Animal and human data indicate that vasectomy does not increase atherosclerosis and that increases in circulating immune complexes after vasectomy are transient. The weight of the evidence regarding prostate and testicular cancer suggests that men with vasectomy are not at increased risk of these cancers, however there is some evidence that men who might want the procedure reversed risk suffering damaged sperm.
Although late failure (caused by recanalization of the vasa deferentia) is very rare, it has been documented.
 |
Vasectomy is the most effective long-term contraceptive method, and is among the safest options for family planning. How popular sterilization is as a birth control method varies by age, with men in their mid 30's to mid 40's being most likely to have a vasectomy. The rate of vasectomies to tubal ligations worldwide is extremely variable, and the statistics are mostly based on questionaire studies rather than actual counts of |
procedures performed. In 2005, the CDC published state by state details of birth control usage by method and age group[4]. Overall, tubal ligation is ahead of vasectomy but not by a large factor. In Britain vasectomy is more popular than tubal ligation, though this statistic may be as a result of the statistical data gathering methodology. Couples who opt for tubal ligation do so for a number of reasons, including:
Convenience of coupling the procedure with delivery at a hospital.
Refusal of the man to undergo vasectomy due to fear of possible side effects.
|
