ALL ABOUT VASECTOMY

Vasectomy is permanent birth control for men. It is a medical procedure that is intended to cause sterility. About 500,000 men in the U.S. choose vasectomy every year. It is chosen by men who have completed their families or by men who do not want children. These men want birth control that is intended to be permanent. They prefer vasectomy because most reversible methods are less reliable, sometimes inconvenient, and may have unpleasant side effects for the women in their lives.

Vasectomy is nearly 100 percent effective. It is intended to be permanent. It is safe. It doesn't limit sexual pleasure.

How Vasectomy Works

Vasectomy is a simple procedure. It makes men sterile by keeping sperm out of semen -- the fluid that spurts from the penis during sex. Sperm are the reproductive cells in men. Pregnancy can happen if a sperm joins with a woman's egg.

Sperm are made in the testes. They pass through two tubes called the vasa deferentia to other glands and mix with seminal fluids to form semen. Vasectomy blocks each vas deferens and keeps sperm out of the seminal fluid. The sperm are absorbed by the body instead of being ejaculated. Without sperm, your ''cum'' (ejaculate) cannot cause pregnancy.

Vasectomy does not affect masculinity, And it will not affect your ability to get hard and stay hard. It also will not affect your sex organs, sexuality, and sexual pleasure. No glands or organs are removed or altered. Your hormones and sperm continue being produced. Your ejaculate will look just like it always did, And there will be about as much of it as before.

Vasectomy is not immediately effective. Sperm remains in the system beyond the blocked tubes. You must use other birth control until the sperm are used up. It usually takes about three months. A simple test - semen analysis - shows when there is no more sperm in the seminal fluid. Very rarely, tubes grow back together again and pregnancy may occur. This happens in about one out of 1,000 cases in the first year.

To Prevent Unintended Pregnancy

Vasectomy is the most effective birth control for sexually active men. While it offers no protection against sexually transmitted infection, you and your partner will need no other contraceptive after a successful vasectomy. You must regard sterilization as permanent, even though it may be reversible in some cases. Your decision to have no biological children in the future must be firm. You must be absolutely sure you will never change your mind or regret your choice - no matter how your life changes.

Continue