Key TakeawaysOnline search traffic about vasectomies initially spiked in the days following a Supreme Court threat to abortion access.One of the questions people want to know: Are vasectomies reversible?While vasectomies should be treated as permanent, reversals are possible, and work up to 95% of the time.A vasectomy reversal will not be effective immediately after the procedure.

Key Takeaways

Online search traffic about vasectomies initially spiked in the days following a Supreme Court threat to abortion access.One of the questions people want to know: Are vasectomies reversible?While vasectomies should be treated as permanent, reversals are possible, and work up to 95% of the time.A vasectomy reversal will not be effective immediately after the procedure.

Since the leak aboutRoe v. Wadebeing overturned, people across the country are having broader conversations about reproductive rights and the options that remain available should the Supreme Court proceed as predicted. One of those available options is a vasectomy.

Eric Rodriguez, CEO and cofounder of Innerbody Research, who conducted research on trending topics right after the Supreme Court opinion leak last week, says online searches for vasectomy information have spiked during the month of May.

Searching for the cost of a vasectomy has become 250% more common. There’s a similar increase in search volume for whether or not vasectomies are reversible. This could indicate that men are taking action to prevent unwanted pregnancies as female reproductive health becomes more restricted.

Overturning Roe v. Wade Could Have Consequences Beyond Abortion Restrictions

“Vasectomies are one of many highly effective birth control options nowadays,” said Rodriguez. “If you don’t have sperm entering your semen, the likelihood of pregnancy drops off significantly. With a 99% effectiveness rate and being reversible, vasectomies are a safe option for males looking for a birth control method.”

Vasectomies are meant to be a permanent form of birth control. Unlikeintrauterine devices(IUDs), which can last three to ten years, a vasectomy is treated as though it will act as birth control for the rest of the patient’s life.

But sometimes, a life change means a person who had a vasectomy wants a reversal—and that is possible.

How Do Vasectomies Work?

Verywell talked toJim Dupree, MD, urologist at the University of Michigan Health, to learn more about vasectomies and vasectomy reversal.

“Sperm are made inside the testicle, sperm that are moved into a gland called the epididymis on the back of the testicle, and then sperm are pushed through a tube call the vas deferens,” said Dupree. “The vas deferens is the tube that basically carries sperm from the scrotum up into the prostate for then go out during sexual activity.”

Vasectomy: Overview

“After a vasectomy, a patient continues to make sperm. It’s just that the sperm are blocked and don’t have a way to kind of get up to the prostate and kind of get out of the body as they normally would,” said Dupree.

Dupree’s clinic has a very specific procedure for vasectomies.

“What I do is I remove a small segment—maybe one to two centimeters of the [vas deferens] tube—and then I also cauterize the very inner lumen of the tube to try and kind of seal that tube closed,” said Dupree. “The third thing that I do is sew a layer of tissue in between those two cut ends to provide a physical blockage to reduce the risk of those two cut-ins growing back together.”

Dupree added that this procedure has to be completed for both testicles.

How Much Does a Vasectomy Cost?

How Do You Reverse a Vasectomy?

While vasectomies are intended to be permanent procedures, it’s still possible to reverse them if a family’s situation has changed.

“A reversal is one of the ways that a patient can try and have a bigger family after a vasectomy,” said Dupree. “I take the vas deferens tube and make a fresh cut on either side of where the vasectomy was performed. Then, I bring those freshly cut ends back together and sew them together with some very very delicate sutures—smaller than the human hair.”

Reversals work better if it hasn’t been too long since the initial vasectomy surgery. If it’s been more than a decade, complications can impact how urologists like Dupree perform the reversal procedure.

Vasectomy Reversal Success Rate

Vasectomy reversals are usually effective, but they aren’t perfect.

Reversals aren’t successful right away, and it can take up to three months after the procedure for sperm to be present in the semen again, according to Dupree. How a patient heals will also have a big impact on how quickly the reversal can take effect.

What This Means For YouIt’s important to know what birth control options are available to you. While vasectomies can be reversed, they are intended to be permanent. If the permanence of such a procedure gives you pause, it might be a good idea to take some time to consider what option is best for you and your family.

What This Means For You

It’s important to know what birth control options are available to you. While vasectomies can be reversed, they are intended to be permanent. If the permanence of such a procedure gives you pause, it might be a good idea to take some time to consider what option is best for you and your family.

1 SourceVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Urology Care Foundation.What is a vasectomy?

1 Source

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Urology Care Foundation.What is a vasectomy?

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Urology Care Foundation.What is a vasectomy?

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