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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    How effective are vasectomies as birth control?

    Related Topics
    Men's Health Vasectomy
    Is there any chance I can still get my wife pregnant after I have had vasectomy?
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    Dr Tom Jarvis

    Urologist

    Dr Tom Jarvis is a specialist urologist. He has international fellowship training in voiding dysfunction, pelvic floor reconstruction and female urology. He has special interests … View Profile

    A vasectomy is one of the most effective forms of birth control.

    In the first year after vasectomy the risk of pregnancy is around 0.15% to 0.20%. This might sound high, but the risk of pregnancy when using condoms is around 14%. It is around 5% with the oral contraceptive pill.

    A man needs to make sure that he has a semen analysis after his vasectomy. That will ensure there is no sperm left in his semen. Sometime there is still sperm present on the semen analysis. In this case, the test may need to be repeated later or further tests performed. 

    Until the man has been given the 'all clear' by the surgeon, he should continue to use alternative forms of contraception. 

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    Anonymous

    After 5 years I fell pregnant to my husband who had a vasectomy. There were no active swimmers but it was absoloutly his. Although extreamly rare it can still happen. 

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