Vasectomy is a very effective means of permanent birth control for men that involves making a tiny incision in the scrotum. After that, it is simply a matter of gaining access to the two tubes (vasa deferentia) responsible for carrying semen from the testes to the urethra and blocking or otherwise permanently interrupting the normal flow of semen. While this procedure is 99 percent effective in preventing pregnancy, men undergoing the procedure should know that they can still impregnate a woman up to several months after the procedure. The simple reason for this is that lingering sperm in the vasectomy patient’s system must be flushed out before any risk of pregnancy is eliminated. This usually takes about twelve weeks.
A few months after the procedure, your doctor will do a semen analysis to check for sperm in the semen. You shouldn’t have unprotected sex until your doctor says it is safe. Remember that semen can still carry STDs, even if it doesn’t contain sperm. For more information, please call METROWEST UROLOGY at (508) 655-4422. Dr. Friedman has been on the cutting edge or urological surgical innovation for over 35 years. He has performed over 2,000 vasectomy reversals with a high success rate. Our office is located in Natick at 67 Union St, Suite #308.
P.S. Vasectomy patients must return to their urologists for tests that verify that sperm are no longer present in their systems.