Vasectomies get the snip!

Number of ops falls as men stay fertile... in case they need to remarry

THE NUMBER of men having vasectomies has fallen by twothirds in ten years.

More are choosing to preserve their fertility later in life, particularly so they can have children with a new partner if their marriage breaks down, experts say.

The procedure is also being rationed by some NHS trusts, and GPs in certain areas have been ordered to cap the number of referrals.

Vasectomies cost £400 a time and are a safe and effective form of contraception. But family planning experts say the operation is increasingly being shunned by men who view it as an irreversible choice.

Clare Murphy, from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, said many couples are waiting until their late 30s and 40s to have children.

‘This may well have implications for the numbers of men seeking vasectomies, as couples want to retain their fertility for longer. But it’s also possible there’s greater awareness that relationships can break down and circumstances change, which may make some men more reluctant to seek a method that can be extremely difficult to reverse.’

Some men may be finding it harder to obtain the pro- cedure as it is being rationed by cash- strapped health trusts, she said.

‘This is not acceptable as vasectomy offers couples a way for a man to take the burden of contraception that his partner may have long shouldered.’

Figures from NHS Digital show that 10,880 vasectomies were performed in 2015/16, down from 29,344 in 2005/6. The biggest drop occurred between 2005/6 and 2014/15. Since then the reduction has slowed.

Natika Halil, chief executive of the sexual health charity Family Planning Association said: ‘Although there are 15 different contraceptive methods available to choose from, vasectomies are one of only two options currently available for men to use – the other, of course, being the external male condom.

‘Being able to choose the right contraceptive method for you is incredibly important and, given the lack of choices available for men, this makes access to vasectomies even more vital.

‘Some commissioners in England are now no longer offering vasectomies on the NHS, which means men may have to pay up around £500 for a private procedure.

‘Unfortunately evidence shows that cuts to services, a fractured commissioning system, a lack of accountability, and a lack of training for healthcare professionals have all lead directly to a reduction in access to contraception.’

Health trusts that have ordered GPs to limit the number of patients referred for a vasectomy include Basildon and Brentwood Clinical Commissioning Group in Essex ,which told certain practices to send in only one man a year.

Vasectomies, which did not become a widespread form of contraception until the 1950s, involve severing the tubes which carry the sperm to the semen, thus preventing the woman’s egg being fertilised. They are difficult to reverse and the procedure is not usually available on the NHS.

The number of women being sterilised has also fallen – by 41 per cent over the ten-year period.

According to NHS Digital, there were 14,039 sterilisations in 2015/16, down from 23,685 in 2005/06.

‘Relationships do break down’