Vasectomy Suitability

Am I suitable for vasectomy?

There are no hard and fast rules to say which men are best suited for vasectomy because it is a personal decision. Vasectomy is really only suitable for those men who are certain, under any circumstances that they do not wish to father any more children. It is therefore essential to give serious thought to the implications of an operation that will render you sterile. This is because the vasectomy procedure must be seen as permanent.

Is it the right choice for me?

• Vasectomy is the right choice for you if you are comfortable with the thought of not having any more children and want to take the responsibility of contraception.
• You may choose vasectomy when other forms of contraception are not effective, safe enough or tolerable for yourself or your partner.
• Vasectomy is the right choice if you want to enjoy sex without the fear of unwanted pregnancy.
• Vasectomy may be the right choice for you, if pregnancy poses a risk to the health of your partner.
• Yes, if your family is complete and you want to save your partner from sterilisation which has a higher failure rate with the risk of more serious complications

Who should not consider having a vasectomy?

• Men who have not fully considered the implications of the operation and for whom other forms of contraception may be more suitable.
• Men who have been forced into this decision by others or by financial circumstances.
• Men who are suffering with unresolved personal or sexual problems.
• Men who hope vasectomy will solve a sexual or marital problem.
• Men who are counting on being able to reverse the vasectomy later.
• Men who are under the age of 25 except in exceptional circumstances such as passing on hereditary disease – see ‘Am I too young?’ below.
• Men in a relationship who have not discussed the issue with their partner.
• Men with a religious affiliation prohibiting vasectomy.

Do I need consent from my partner?

Before choosing vasectomy, we strongly encourage all our patients to discuss their decision to be sterilised with their partner. You need to be absolutely sure it is the right decision for you as it cannot be easily reversed. However, you do not need your partner’s agreement and as this service is completely confidential, we will not disclose any information to your partner without your permission.

Am I too young?

The decision whether or not to be permanently sterilised is a very personal one and very much depends on your circumstances and beliefs about whether you wish to father children. This is not necessarily an age-dependent decision although younger men, particularly without children are more likely to regret their decision than older men who have completed their family. At the Bristol Vasectomy Clinic we do not discriminate on the basis of age and we assess each man’s request for vasectomy on an individual basis. However, understandably, we encourage all men under the age of 25 years and those below 30 years without children to attend for a separate counselling session prior to their operation with an intervening ‘cooling-off’ period in order to fully consider their decision, taking into account alternative options such as long-acting reversible contraception.