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Last Updated:
Sep 10th, 2007 - 18:59:21
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Question
My husband had a vasectomy 8 months ago. What are the chances that any remaining sperm are still alive in there (if he has not had 20 ejaculations?) Also, we were told he has to come back annually to check for continued sterility. He had a regular scalpel method vasectomy. What is the point of having a vasectomy if you have to check every year for sterility?
Thanks.
Answer
I have a funny story to tell you: One Friday afternoon when I was an urology resident the Chief Resident was lecturing us about vasectomies and how a study had shown that it takes at least 13 ejaculations to clear the system of sperm after vasectomy. A patient who had just had a vasectomy by my colleague was listening intently, and Monday morning he shows up in our clinic with a seminal fluid sample for a sperm check. Puzzled, my friend asked him why he was there when he had just had his vasectomy three days ago. His response was that he overheard the talk on Friday and this sample represented his fourteenth ejaculation since the vasectomy…
In spite of the study I just cited there really is no way to know for sure if one is clear of sperm without checking the fluid periodically. Once the seminal fluid is clear of sperm it is highly unlikely sperm will ever appear again, although spontaneous reconnection of a vas does occur (the pregnancy rate after vasectomy is about 1/2000). It is highly unusual for a physician to recommend rechecking the seminal fluid for sperm yearly once it has been deemed free. In fact, this is only the second time I have ever heard of that.
Dr. Gregory Polito
Gregory Polito, MD, KM, is President of the California Association of Natural Family Planning.
Dr. Polito is a urologist in private practice with vasovasostomy (vasectomy reversal) as a subspecialty.
He is a Member of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, and Chair of Board Quality Committee at Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital in Whittier, CA.
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to visit Dr. Polito's web site.
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