Hospital family planning: a vasectomy service
McEvan, J.; Newton, J.; Yates-Bell, A.
Contraception 9(2): 177-192
1974
ISSN/ISBN: 0010-7824 PMID: 4421538 DOI: 10.1016/0010-7824(74)90030-4Document Number: 492292
The vasectomy service at King's College Hospital in London has performed over 1600 operations since 1969 and evaluation of the program is presented. A counselling interview is held with the patient and his wife 2-4 weeks before the operation and is considered an indispensable part of the procedure. The outpatient operation is simple and performed under local anesthesia. The patient is advised to take a day or 2 off work, and seminal samples are collected until 2 consecutive negative samples are obtained and sterilization is achieved. The majority of vasectomy patients seen at this hospital were skilled manual laborers under 40 years old. The reason for vasectomy in 72% of the cases was completion of desired family size. A 5% complications rate was reported with this series of operations, and only 3 cases out of 1120 required hospitalization. In 79% of the cases the first 2 postoperative seminal fluid analyses were negative. Recanalization apparently occurred in 3 cases. Vasectomy was well accepted by the patients in this series and is viewed as a highly advantageous means of family planning for certain couples.