A vasectomy is a procedure that permanently sterilizes a man and takes away his ability to impregnate a woman. The procedure involves making small incisions into two long ducts known separately as the vas deferens. These are the pathways that normally allow sperm (the male reproductive cell) to mix with semen before it is ejaculated through the penis.

In the United States, 500,000 vasectomies are performed each year, and about one in six men over age 35 has had the procedure, according to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Vasectomies are among the most effective methods of birth control available. However, men should carefully consider whether or not a vasectomy is right for them. Men who later change their minds and decide to have children can often have the procedure reversed. However, reversal surgery is expensive and not always successful. In many cases, men are able to ejaculate sperm, but the sperm are unable to fertilize an egg. Health experts recommend that men who are opting for vasectomy surgery have their sperm frozen and stored at a sperm bank prior to the procedure in case they change their mind about having children in the future.