From costs to treatment: everything you want to know about male sterilization

He tells about how that goes and what he experiences in the clinic.

Male sterilization

Male sterilization is a simple procedure on the vas deferens to prevent pregnancy. During the procedure, a doctor cuts out a piece between the two vas deferens so that no more sperm cells end up in the semen. This is done under local anesthetic and takes about 10 to 15 minutes if performed by a highly experienced doctor.

Doctor Naderi explains: “Because male sterilization has been performed on a large scale for at least 50 years, we know that it is a safe procedure. You have to be sure that you no longer wish to become pregnant. Because undoing a sterilization is a surgery that certainly doesn’t always work.” He continues: “The next day you can go back to work if you feel well but not if you do heavy physical work. Cycling, sports or heavy lifting can be done again after five days. In general, there are few complications. After three A sperm check follows for months, an extra check to check whether the procedure has been successful.”

Sterilization male or female?

Sterilization is a smaller procedure for men than for women. A woman needs to be hospitalized and sterilized under anesthesia in an operating room. This is therefore much more drastic than the simple procedure for the man under local anesthesia in a treatment room.

Another advantage of sterilization of the man is that the sperm can be checked to see whether the man is really infertile. Partly because of this, male sterilization is the most reliable contraception, and is also more reliable than female sterilization. Because sterilization of the woman is more complicated, the costs are also around 1000 euros higher.

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Men, sex really stays the same

Nader Naderi explains: “Men often make the mistake of thinking that sterilization affects their masculinity and their sex life. That is not the case: the erection remains the same size and hard, the sensation when ejaculating remains the same, the same amount of sperm is injected, the sex drive does not change. and it doesn’t affect your testosterone either.”

Sperm consists of more than 95 percent seminal fluid and only a few percent sperm cells. But where are the sperm cells if they no longer make it into the semen? Even without sterilization, only a very small part of the sperm cells ends up in the semen. So most sperm cells already remain in the ball anyway and are broken down there on their own. After sterilization, this happens with all sperm cells.

Pain

Naderi can also reassure men when it comes to pain: “Most men find the pain not too bad. During the procedure they are given a local anesthetic. Sometimes men take paracetamol before and after the procedure.” Naderi does understand that men are pre-concerned about pain. “That makes sense, because the scrotum is very sensitive and a very important part of the man’s body. The thought that they get a shot in it is repulsive to them. But on the other hand, they have also experienced deliveries and that includes such a shot. into nothingness.”

Age

Most men are between the ages of 30 and 50, but older than 50 are also common. Naderi explains: “Because men remain fertile throughout their lives, they are never too old for sterilization. They may be too young. Experience shows that sterilization under 30 is not recommended, because you can’t always do it anymore. turn back. If a young man does want it, we will always help him make a careful choice.”

Contraception doesn’t have to be a woman’s thing

Usually, the women have been using contraception for years and are done with it. “I’ve always arranged it, I’ve done the deliveries, now it’s your turn,” Naderi hears in his consulting room. “They are fed up and don’t want any more mess in their bodies. Or they suffer from it, for example from the hormones in the pill or pain during sex due to a spiral. That is often a fright for men because they are used to having the lusts but not the burdens of contraception.”

With sterilization you never have to worry about contraception again. That is very handy because you still need contraception for a considerable period of time. In principle, women are fertile until menopause, that is, if the woman has not had a period for a year. It is therefore advised to use a contraceptive until one year after the last period. This age differs per woman, but is on average in the early fifties.

Cost

Sterilization of the man will cost around 400 euros (in 2021). Sterilization is not part of basic care. This means that you have to pay for it yourself or take out additional insurance for this with the health insurer.

Where do you get sterilized?

Male sterilization, also called a vasectomy, is usually performed by a urologist. That is the medical specialist who deals with male genitals. You can go to the hospital or a specialized clinic for this. There are still few general practitioners who sterilize.

Male sterilization is one of the areas of expertise of Andros Clinics’ urological clinics. In 2020, 1127 men opted for sterilization at Andros in Amsterdam, The Hague, Baarn, Arnhem or Den Bosch.

Source: NCBI, Andros Clinics, Independer, Nivel