How to Know If Your Vasectomy Failed

A vasectomy is a surgical procedure typically performed by a urologist for the purpose of male sterilization. It is one of the most popular birth-control procedures in the world because, when performed by a trained specialist, it is simple, effective and safe. As with any surgical procedure, there are risks, and while the procedure is more than 99 percent effective, it is possible for a vasectomy to fail.

Instructions

• 1

  Maintain scheduled follow-up visits to your urologist for regular sperm counts. Until you receive a report indicating no viable sperm in your semen you are considered fertile. During that time additional birth control methods should be used to prevent pregnancy. It can take two to three months to completely expel all viable sperm from the semen after a vasectomy has been performed.

• 2

  Consult with your urologist if the volume or motility of sperm in your ejaculate fails to diminish. On rare occasions--less than 1 percent of all reported cases--a surgical or technical error is discovered. In these cases the vas deferens, the tube that allows the sperm to travel from the testicles to mix with the semen, is not completely blocked. In these cases the procedure will need to be repeated in order to be effective.

• 3

  Pregnancy resulting from a monogamous relationship after the male has been tested and declared sterile by a qualified urologist indicates a failed vasectomy. In exceptionally rare cases, less than one-half of 1 percent, the vas deferens may spontaneously reconnect, permitting at least a partial flow of sperm into the semen. The result can be an unexpected pregnancy.