Vasectomy is a surgical procedure performed to permanently prevent a man from fathering children. In adult males, sperm cells are produced in a pair of sex glands called testicles. The sperm travel through two tubes called the vas deferens to a gland called the prostate. In the prostate, the vas deferens meet the ducts of two fluid-producing glands called seminal vesicles. Fluids produced by the prostate and seminal vesicles mix with sperm to form a thick liquid called semen. Semen supports sperm and helps carry them out of the body through the penis. A vasectomy blocks the flow of sperm in the vas deferens, so the semen will carry no sperm.
Vasectomy is performed through a small incision or puncture in the scrotum, the pouch behind the penis that contains the testicles. The surgeon exposes the vas deferens and then removes sections of them, ties or burns the ends, or uses a combination of these methods. After a vasectomy, the testicles continue to produce sperm, but they cannot enter the semen and so are reabsorbed by the body. It may take one to six months, however, to completely eliminate sperm from the vas deferens. During this time, the man remains fertile. A vasectomy does not affect a man’s sexual function.
A vasectomy is safer, easier to perform, and less expensive than female surgical sterilization. It is a voluntary procedure, and men who choose to have it done must be certain they wish to become permanently sterile. Surgical techniques to reverse a vasectomy and restore fertility have success rates of less than 50 to 70 percent.
