Real-World Live Birth Rates after Vasectomy: Data from the National Survey of Family Growth

Purpose

Vasectomy is considered the gold standard for permanent male contraception, with guideline-reported failure rates of 1:2,000. However, these estimates are based on cohorts that may not reflect the evolution of surgical techniques and changes to provider mix. Contemporary incidence of unintended pregnancies after vasectomy remain unclear. Materials and Methods: We estimated vasectomy failure rates using data from the National Survey of Family Growth, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-sponsored survey measuring reproductive health in the United States population. We extracted data from four survey waves of families who underwent a household vasectomy. Pregnancy rates were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier curves and multivariable Cox proportional-hazards models to assess the impact of demographic factors on pregnancy rates post-vasectomy.