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Half of men fail to check if vasectomy is working

A new research at the State University of New York suggests that nearly half of men who get sterilization by vasectomy surgery don't return for follow-up tests that make sure the procedure is working. This situation exists despite doctors routinely ask that men come back to check efficacy of vasectomy surgery, but many don't.

To make sure that any remaining sperm has cleared out of the vas deferens tubes, as precautions after vasectomy surgery doctors routinely ask patients to provide a semen sample about three months after the vasectomy procedure.

Statistically, those who don't go back, and therefore risk an unwanted pregnancy after vasectomy, are more likely to be smokers, not highly educated and the fathers of four or more children, the study found.

The study findings show the need for better communication between doctors and vasectomy patients, especially those at higher risk of not following up.

Vasectomy is about 99 percent effective, vasectomy failure occurs in rare situations. In those cases, sperm can make it into semen and impregnate a woman. To make sure that any remaining sperm has cleared out of the vas deferens tubes, doctors routinely ask patients to provide a semen sample about three months after the vasectomy procedure. Urologists agree total clearance usually takes 20 to 30 ejaculations, noting sperm can stay alive for weeks.

The researchers, examined the medical records of 214 vasectomy patients to see what role sociodemographic factors might play in follow-up. They revealed in a report in the December issue of Contraception, that forty-six percent didn't get a post vasectomy semen analysis. Age and marital status made no difference, but men who didn't return were less likely to be college-educated.

Doctors explicitly tell patients to return for a sperm check, but since the message is not getting across, there's talk of other strategies. A very promising strategy is making follow-up appointments at the time of a vasectomy and using home semen analysis post vasectomy tests. That means men should buy test kits at the store or online, as women do with pregnancy tests. This way men could to determine if they're sterile. Because test are designed to detect high numbers of sperm, not low ones, a medical advice is welcomed.