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Is a Vasectomy a form of Male Sterilisation?


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Yes, for the most part, that is exactly right. A vasectomy should be considered a permanent form of sterilisation. If you are looking simply for a contraceptive and think there is a possibility you could change your mind in the future, this procedure is not for you. Despite the existence of a vasectomy reversal, due to the success rates of pregnancy and with everything that a vasectomy reversal depends on, for example, time since having a vasectomy, it is likely that you will in fact become sterile or at the very least, have more defects associated with your sperm.

Immediately after a vasectomy has taken place, this is often the period when couples experience pregnancy. This is because couples decide to take the risk of having sex without contraceptives because they think that a vasectomy is instant. This is not the case. For the first few months sperm can remain in the ejaculatory fluid as the tubes are cleared out. You will be given a sperm test after the procedure and only after you have got the all-clear twice in a row, should it be considered that the vasectomy has worked. Another explanation for pregnancy maybe due to the vas deferens healing and joining again to make you still fertile. It is advisable simply for peace of mind to take a sperm test once a year. It has been found in a small number of cases that at any point following the operation, even years afterwards, the vas deferens spontaneously re-join and the only way to know of this (other than a sperm test, should you get tested in time) is that you find your partner is pregnant! In short, yes, a vasectomy should be considered a form of male sterilisation but you should be aware of the small risk that you become fertile again.

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