Pregnancy After Vasectomy

A pregnancy after vasectomy is very unlikely. But there are certain circumstances in which this can happen even years after the vasectomy has been done.

What is a vasectomy?

A vasectomy is a minor surgical procedure done on a man in order to stop his sperm from being delivered to the urethra during sex. The procedure is done as an alternative birth control method. It allows a couple to engage in sexual intercourse without protection a couple of months after the procedure. Two or three months have to pass in order to make sure that all sperm has been eliminated – that is why a physician will advise in using other birth control methods like a condom during that time. Further appointments with the doctor will confirm when it is safe not to use birth control anymore.

The vasectomy is a reversible procedure. If, for any reason, a couple should decide that they do want to have children, the husband or partner could opt for a vasectomy reversal. The procedure simply reconnects the line that produces the sperm with the urethra, so that sperm can pass through once more. Studies show that a vasectomy reversal is successful in only 60% of cases, so do consider having the vasectomy in the first place, as it is an expensive procedure. Reversing it will be even more expensive.

What are the odds of pregnancy?

Pregnancy after vasectomy can occur because of two reasons:

  • Unsuccessful vasectomy
  • Unprotected intercourse in the first 2 to 3 months after a vasectomy

    An unsuccessful vasectomy is fairly rare. Your physician will most probably ask you to come for several follow-up appointments after the vasectomy in order to confirm whether it was successful or not. If you engage in unprotected sexual intercourse and the vasectomy was not successful, odds of a pregnancy are as high as anybody else. Using birth control methods two to three months after a vasectomy has been performed could give you enough time to figure out that it was not successful.

    Also, birth control is generally advised for the two or three months after a vasectomy due to another factor. The average male will still have a small amount of sperm available even after a successful vasectomy was performed. In this case, a pregnancy after vasectomy occurs like any other normal pregnancy. This is why your physician will advise you to use condoms or birth control pills for at least another 2 months after the procedure.

    A recent study targeted 500 women in order to determine odds of a pregnancy after vasectomy. Six women became pregnant out of the total of 500.

    Three of them became pregnant in the first months after the vasectomy likely because the couple had failed to use birth control methods at first, as the doctor advised. The other 3 became pregnant after the first year, most likely due to unsuccessful vasectomies or due to the fact that the vas deferens (the tube that carries the sperm to the urethra) grew back. Either way, there is about a 0.6% chance of becoming pregnant after a vasectomy procedure.

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