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The Risk of Pregnancy After Vasectomy

Denise J. Jamieson, MD, MPH^*, Caroline Costello, MPH^*, James Trussell, PhD, Susan D. Hillis, PhD^*, Polly A. Marchbanks, PhD^* and Herbert B. Peterson, MD^* U.S. Collaborative Review of Sterilization Working Group^*

From the *Division of Reproductive Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, and Office of Population Research, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey.

Address reprint requests to: Denise J. Jamieson, MD MPH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway, Mailstop K-34, Atlanta, GA 30341; e-mail: djj0{at}cdc.gov.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the pregnancy rates among women whose husbands underwent vasectomy.

METHODS: Between 1985 and 1987, 573 women aged 18–44 years whose husbands underwent vasectomy in medical centers in 5 U.S. cities were enrolled in the U.S. Collaborative Review of Sterilization, a prospective cohort study of male and female sterilization. Women were interviewed by telephone at 1, 2, 3, and 5 years after their husbands underwent vasectomy.

RESULTS: Among the 540 eligible women at risk for pregnancy, there were 6 pregnancies occurring from 6 to 72 weeks after vasectomy. The cumulative probability of failure per 1,000 procedures (95% confidence interval) was 9.4 (1.2, 17.5) 1 year after vasectomy and 11.3 (2.3, 20.3) at years 2, 3, and 5.

CONCLUSION: Couples considering vasectomy should be counseled about the small, but real, risk of pregnancy following the procedure and that men are not sterile immediately after vasectomy.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II-2

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