A Vasectomy is a safe and effective birth control choice for men who are certain they don’t want to father a child.

• Vasectomy is nearly 100 percent effective in preventing pregnancy.
• Vasectomy is an outpatient surgery with a low risk of complications or side effects.
• The cost of a vasectomy is far less than the cost and complexity of female sterilisation (tubal ligation) or the long-term cost of birth control medications for women.
• You won’t need to take birth control steps before sex, such as putting on a condom.

A potential concern with vasectomy is that you may later change your mind about wanting to father a child. Although it may be possible to reverse your vasectomy, there’s no guarantee it will work. Reversal surgery is more complicated than vasectomy, can be very expensive and is ineffective for many men. Before you get a vasectomy, you should be certain you don’t want to father a child in the future and should have a lengthy discussion both with your partner and GP. For most men, a vasectomy doesn’t cause any noticeable side effects, and serious complications are rare.

Side effects right after surgery can include:

• Bleeding or a blood clot (hematoma) inside the scrotum
• Blood in your semen
• Bruising of your scrotum
• Infection of the surgery site
• Mild pain or discomfort
• Swelling

Delayed complications can include:

• Chronic pain (rare)
• Fluid buildup in the testicle, which can cause a dull ache that gets worse with ejaculation
• Inflammation caused by leaking sperm (granuloma)
• Pregnancy, in the event of recanalisation of the vas deferens