Vasectomy is credited for being a form of permanent birth control for most men and their partners. Although it can be reversed, there still exists a small chance that the procedure might not be successful. Perhaps one of the reasons for its popularity is that there exists very little chance of vasectomy complications post-surgery. It is also one of the safest and most effective birth control options today.
Why Can A Vasectomy Fail?
A failed vasectomy can be established through a positive pregnancy even after the surgery has been done (1). It can also be identified through a positive test for fertile sperm through post-vasectomy semen testing (2). It can sometimes be a point of mental and emotional turmoil for partners looking for a stress-free sex life if they did not want to be pregnant.
Getting Intimate Too Soon
Sometimes, a positive pregnancy might occur after unprotected sex happens soon after a vasectomy surgery. The procedure involves blocking the vas deferens, which might still contain viable sperm, a significant time after a vasectomy is done.
It is recommended that a man ejaculates about 20 times or more to be sure that there isn’t any fertile sperm left in the sperm duct. It can be discouraging to find out that your partner is pregnant after taking a step to make sure that doesn’t happen. Most urologists recommend that a man has to use protection for about three months post-vasectomy to ensure the procedure’s success.
Recanalization Failure
Recanalization failure is far less common in a vasectomy, although it might occur even with a surgeon with great experience. A vasectomy essentially involves the severing of the vas deferens, after which the far ends have to be blocked.
Recanalization could happen if sperm can still find its way through into the semen. Since the sperm will always try to get through the blocked section, small holes may develop at the ends where the sperm finds a clear path into the ejaculate (3).
Diagnosing this problem can be done during routine semen testing, where fertile sperm is identified. However, it is essential to note that recanalization doesn’t always result in pregnancy. Recanalizations usually seal off by themselves after a few months, which means that you won’t need to go back for a corrective vasectomy procedure.
Error During Surgery
Surgical errors are the least prevalent causes of vasectomy failure. One such mistake can be blocking one vas deferens in two sections instead of blocking out both sets of the vas. There can also be an error from having a duplicate vas that the surgeon failed to identify during an assessment.
However, the chances of that happening are extremely small (4). Sometimes, the wrong tubes can be cut, including blood vessels, which is essentially a factor for technical errors during a vasectomy procedure. The remedy is to ensure that you get tested for sperm presence after three months of the vasectomy to ensure everything worked as it should.
Vasectomy Failure and Resulting Complications
Although they are quite rare, you might sometimes have to deal with scrotal hematoma complications and some mild discomfort soon after the vasectomy. Your doctor should help you get around the various symptoms with medication and tips on recovery care post vasectomy.
Links to Sources Used:
- Failure following fertility vasectomy https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7464522/
- Semen analysis after vasectomy: when and how many? https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10971276/
- Frequency and patterns of early recanalization after vasectomy https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1586021/
- Duplication of vas deferens—A rare anomaly with review of literature https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3215246/