Medical Questions » Contraception Questions » Question No. 233
| Question: | My GP is insisting that I have a sperm test after my vasectomy a couple of months ago. I find this very embarrassing, and do not really want to do it. Is it essential? |
| Answer: | The purpose of a semen test is to determine the health of a man' s sperm. After a vasectomy, there should be no sperm present, and this proves that the operation was a success.
To perform the test the man must ejaculate a sperm sample into a sterile container, which is sent to a laboratory and examined to establish the number of sperm (if any) present. The semen sample must reach the laboratory as soon as possible after ejaculation.
It is essential, because it is the only way of confirming the success of the vasectomy. If one of the sperm tubes was duplicated and missed by the doctor during the operation, you may still be passing sperm to your partner during sex, and pregnancy could still occur.
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