How old do I need to be to get a vasectomy?

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How old do I need to be to get a vasectomy?

September 23, 2020

Dr Justin Low

FAQs

The age of men who have vasectomies can vary as much as their reasons for getting one. Legally anyone over the age of 18 is allowed to have one.

However, there are other considerations to take into account around emotional maturity and preparedness. Legally speaking, anyone over the age of 18 in MSI Australia is eligible for the procedure, and there is no medical referral required in order to consult with a vasectomist.

Vasectomy is a method of contraception for people who have decided that they don’t ever want children, or who have children and are certain they don’t want more. Both of these decisions require a level of emotional and intellectual maturity because they will have permanent consequences.

Men under the age of 30, who have not had children, may not have had the opportunity to thoroughly consider the impact of this decision on their life, or on the life of their current or future partner. For this reason, some vasectomists are uncomfortable performing permanent sterilisation on men under 30 years old.

This does not mean that men under 30 are excluded from being able to have the procedure, but that doing so will require a consultation with the vasectomist around the reasons they are electing to have the procedure done.

For instance, some young men will chose to have a vasectomy in order not to pass on any serious health concerns they know to be genetic. In this case their age would not be an excluding factor.

When deciding on whether to have a vasectomy in Sydney, it is less an issue of age and more a case of ensuring you have thoroughly assessed your feelings on the matter and are choosing to do so for the right reasons.

About the Author

Dr Justin Low

Justin received his medical degree from the University of Sydney in 1987 and completed the RACGP Family Medicine Program (FMP) in 1991. He became a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners in 1993. He has performed over 9000 vasectomies since 2011 during which time he developed the MSI No Scalpel Open Handed technique with painless needle technique. He is responsible for training an quality assurance of MSI Vasectomy services across the country.

Does Insurance Cover Vasectomy Procedures?

You can choose to use Private Health Insurance (PHI) to contribute to the cost of your vasectomy or you can use Medicare only. However, for those looking to make the most of the PHI cover they have, it’s important to understand some basic information.

IV Sedation (IV) versus Local Anaesthetic (LA)

There seems to be quite a lot of debate regarding what type of anaesthetic to have for vasectomy. Some doctors only provide IV sedation in a hospital and some only offer local anaesthetic in a GP Clinic and believe that IV Sedation is not necessary.

No Gap Vasectomies with Private Health Insurance available

If you have Private Health Insurance (PHI) and are interested in getting a vasectomy, then we have the perfect option that allows you to use your insurance and pay minimal or no gap.

The 4 biggest myths about Vasectomies

Alright boys, it’s time to talk about the big V! Maybe you’ve had all the kids you want to have, or maybe you’re crystal clear on never wanting any at all. Either way, you’ve been thinking about committing to firing blanks. So what’s holding you back?

Vasectomy Pain

Most men have, at some point in their lives, experienced an impact or blow to their testicles. It’s an unfortunate side-effect of having them located where they are. For many men, just the recollection of such an event is enough to bring tears to our eyes. And this memory is often one of the factors that deters men from committing to a vasectomy.

Vasectomy vs Tubal ligation

If you’re in a heterosexual, monogamous relationship and have decided not to have any/more children, then you and your partner might be weighing up your options around permanent contraception methods, also referred to as sterilisation. The two to consider are tubal ligation and a vasectomy.

Vasectomy vs Condoms: the real cost of condoms

When it comes to finances, the choice between condoms and a vasectomy seems pretty obvious. Well it might be time to think again, because not only is a vasectomy far more effective at preventing pregnancy, it also turns out to be a lot more affordable over a lifetime.