Vasectomy

A vasectomy is a minor medical procedure where your vas deferens (the tubes that carry the sperm away from your testicles) are blocked so that you can’t father children anymore. It is done in a doctor’s office under a local anaesthetic (which means the area being worked on is frozen but you are awake for the procedure). The procedure takes approximately 20 minutes to complete.

• A vasectomy is 99.9% effective.
• This is a permanent procedure with no lasting side effects and few complications. You may consider having a vasectomy if you are sure you will not want children in the future. There is no guarantee that the procedure can be reversed.
• There are possible short-term side effects which can include: temporary bruising, swelling and tenderness of the scrotum or possibly an infection.
• A vasectomy does not protect against sexually transmitted infections.
• This procedure is available in a doctor’s office. The cost may be covered by your provincial health insurance although this may differ from province to province.