The number of men undergoing male sterilisation more than doubled last year, surpassing the growth rate in the number of women seeking such permanent family planning methods.
A vasectomy is a minor surgical procedure for men that is a 100 per cent effective form of birth control but can be difficult to reverse. The procedure prevents sperm from entering the semen ejaculated during intercourse.
According to the newly released Economic Survey 2023, the number of men undergoing male sterilisation vasectomy more than doubled last year to hit 557 compared to 248 the previous year—marking a 124.59 per cent jump.
There were 334 male vasectomy procedures in 2020—an indication that more males are beating the long-running stigma on the procedure.
Experts advise that one should only have a vasectomy if he’s sure that he doesn’t want more, or any, children.
This is because although reversal is sometimes possible, it may not be successful. Even with a successful operation, it may still not be possible to father a child.
After a vasectomy, men have to submit semen samples after about 12 weeks to make sure there is no sperm or at least no viable sperm. Once tests have confirmed that your semen is sperm-free, the vasectomy is considered successful and you can stop using additional contraception.
Family planning
The Economic Survey shows that there was an overall increase in the uptake of permanent family planning methods with the number of women undergoing sterilisation Bilateral Tubal Ligation (BTL) rising by 13.6 per cent to 4,107 in 2022.
A BTL is a surgical procedure that involves blocking the fallopian tubes to prevent the ovum (egg) from being fertilised. BTL sterilisation results in mechanically blocking or interrupting the fallopian tubes to prevent sperm from fertilising the egg.
The Economic Survey shows that BTL sterilization among females had been slowing over four years, falling from 10,814 in 2018, to 8,971 in 2019, 4,435 in 2020 and 3,616 in 2021 before rising marginally to 4,107 last year.
The survey showed that the number of clients seeking all contraceptive methods declined last year except for pills combined oral contraceptives and sterilisation for both males and females.
In 2022, Family Planning(FP) injections remained the most used method of contraception with 2.6 million clients followed by implant insertions with 1.1 million clients.
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