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What is sterilisation?

Sterilisation is a type of contraception where you have an operation to prevent you having any more children.

What types of sterilisation are there?

Either a man or a woman can be sterilised. Obviously, because male and female anatomy is not the same, the operation is entirely different.

• Male sterilisation (vasectomy) stops sperm travelling from the testicles (testes). It is done by dividing the tubes in the scrotum. Read about vasectomy (male sterilisation.)

• Female sterilisation prevents the egg from travelling along the fallopian tubes to meet a sperm. Read about female sterilisation.

How effective is sterilisation?

Sterilisation is an effective form of contraception, with a typical failure rate of 0.5% for female sterilisation and 0.15% for male sterilisation. This means that for every 1,000 women who get sterilised, about 5 might still get pregnant. For every 1,000 men who get sterilised, about 1 or 2 might still cause pregnancy. This is better than most other methods, although the hormonal intrauterine device (coil) has a lower failure rate than female sterilisation, and the implant (a small rod placed under the skin of the arm) has a lower failure rate than both types of sterilisation.

Is male or female sterilisation better?

It is an individual decision. Generally male sterilisation is safer as it is less likely to need a general anaesthetic. It is also quicker and more effective. You can read more about the pros and cons of each in the individual leaflets linked above.

There is an urban myth that being sterilised reduces your sex drive - this is not correct.

Is sterilisation reversible?

Sterilisation is considered a permanent method of contraception, because it is difficult to reverse - reversal is a complicated operation which is not always successful. Reversal is not usually available on the NHS.

Pros and cons of sterilisation

Pros

• Sterilisation is an effective method of contraception.

• After sterilisation, no additional contraception needs to be used.

• It is a method which is free of hormones and therefore useful for people who get side-effects from hormonal contraception.

Cons

• It is only for people who have decided they do not want children, or further children, in the future. It is difficult to reverse.

• Whilst sterilisation is very safe, any operation can have complications.

• If female sterilisation fails, the risk of an ectopic pregnancy is greater than in a pregnant woman who has not been sterilised.

• As with all methods other than male condoms, sterilisation does not protect against sexually transmitted infections.