A vasectomy is one of safest and most effective methods of permanent birth control. It is much safer and less expensive than the other most common contraceptive surgery, tubal ligation. At Premier Medical Group Urology Division, vasectomy is a simple 10-minute procedure performed in the doctor's office using a local anesthetic. The objective is to prevent sperm from entering the semen.

There are two types of vasectomies, traditional and scalpel free
To understand vasectomy, it is helpful to understand the male reproductive system and how it functions. The testicles, or testes, are the sperm- and testosterone-producing organs. They are located in a sac at the base of the penis called the scrotum. Each testicle is connected to a small, coiled tube called the epididymis, where sperm are stored for as long as 6 weeks while they mature. The epididymis is connected to the prostate gland by a pair of tubes called the vas deferens.

The vas deferens is part of a larger bundle of tissue, blood vessels, nerves, and lymphatic channels called the spermatic cord. During ejaculation, seminal fluid produced by the prostate gland mixes with sperm from the testes to form semen, which is ejaculated from the penis.

Is a Vasectomy for you?
In general, vasectomy is one of the safest simplest forms of birth control. The scalpel-free vasectomy is a less invasive technique with minimal down-time. In fact, most men return to work and full activity in just two days.

A vasectomy should be considered permanent
Before you make your decision, speak with your partner and make certain it's what you both want. Most men chose vasectomy as a form of birth control because their family is complete. Other men chose vasectomy because it's a reliable form of birth control.

Whatever your reasons, you need to consider many factors.

• Are you certain you don't want more children?
• What if you enter into a new relationship and you both decide you would like children together.
• Be sure you have no doubts before you chose a vasectomy.

How a vasectomy works
To prevent sperm, the vas deferens are cut and sealed off during surgery. Your testes will continue to produce sperm, but because there is nowhere for the sperm to go, they die and are absorbed into your body. Since a very minor part of your semen is made up of sperm, you will not notice a visible difference.

Reversal
After vasectomy, it may be possible for the vas ends to be sutured back together and sperm restored to the semen. This doesn't always work, so vasectomy should be considered permanent. However, within the first 3 years of a vasectomy, reversal restores sperm to the semen in over 97% of cases. Even when the interval between vasectomy and reversal is 15 years or more, the sperm recovery rate remains about 70 percent.