If you and your partner have decided that you don't want to have any more children then you may be considering your options for permanent birth control.

Urologist William Evans says that "Obviously having a vasectomy for a couple is a major decision. It's the end of their normal reproductive life and it's something that each couple should take seriously."

In our country this form of birth control is chosen by one out of every six men who are over the age of 35. David Jennings says that "Me and my wife knew it was going to be a hard decision. I had two healthy kids and you know, I knew that if I had another kid it could be another girl and then I'd really be outnumbered, so."

Dr. Evans spends times with his patients to make sure they have come to this decision because they have been well informed. "When we see a patient for a vasectomy we sit down with them and have a consultation, and we explain to them the procedure and we also talk to them about their decision making process. We explain the procedure in detail."

Dr. Evans also says that a vasectomy makes a man sterile by blocking the tubes through which sperm passes into the semen. The procedure is very simple and straightforward. "A vasectomy is something that we do in the office under a local anesthetic as an outpatient, takes generally ten to fifteen minutes to do the procedure."

This form of birth control is considered to be almost 100 percent effective without limiting sexual pleasure.

A vasectomy is medically simpler to perform than female sterilization, has a lower incidence of complications, and is less expensive. Some health insurance policies will even pay for some, or most of the cost.