In 1985, AVSC International staff traveled to China to learn about a new vasectomy technique, developed by Dr. Li Shunqiang. This "no-scalpel vasectomy" (NSV) technique has several advantages over traditional vasectomy: it is less invasive, less painful, heals more quickly, and has fewer complications. In 1988, AVSC pioneered the introduction of NSV in the United States.
Now an article in the October 1998 issue of Urology provides the first-ever estimate of the extent to which physicians adopted this surgical technique: within 10 years of its introduction in the U.S., NSV accounted for approximately 29% of the vasectomies performed annually nationwide.
The article reports on a 1995 study of 1,800 family physicians, general surgeons, and urologists about their practice of vasectomy. The study was conducted jointly by AVSC, the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to the study, approximately 494,000 vasectomies were performed by 15,800 physicians in the U.S. in 1995. About 76% of all vasectomies were performed by urologists, 15% by family physicians, and 9% by general surgeons.
AVSC's Work with NSV
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How Vasectomy Works
Vasectomy is a simple, safe, and effective surgical procedure that permanently ends a man's fertility.
After numbing the scrotum with local anesthesia, the physician enters the scrotum either by making an incision (for traditional vasectomy) or a small puncture (for no-scalpel vasectomy) in order to cut and seal the tubes that carry a man's sperm. After a vasectomy, the man still produces semen during ejaculation, but the semen no longer contain sperm. The man's sexual functioning and hormone production remain the same.
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When AVSC first introduced NSV into the U.S., we began by providing hands-on training to individual physicians. These physicians then trained others in the procedure. We also conducted one-day workshops for physicians consisting of lectures and videos, followed by practice on models.
From 1988 to the present, AVSC arranged for over 1,550 American and Canadian physicians to receive hands-on training in the technique.
According to the Urology article, 44% of all U.S. physicians who now provide NSV reported that they learned the technique through hands-on training, and 17% reported they learned it at a workshop. By contrast, 37% taught themselves the technique, either by reading about it, purchasing a video, or a combination of both.
A Good Method for Couples
Vasectomy is the only long-term contraceptive method available to men. As such, it allows couples looking for such a method to choose the man to shoulder the responsibility of family planning.
This represents a major advance. Traditionally, women have borne the responsibility for family planning, and female sterilization is a more serious, risky, and costly procedure than vasectomy. Moreover, the advantages of NSV over traditional vasectomy make vasectomy a more attractive contraceptive option for many men, increasing the likelihood that couples will choose the method.
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AVSC offers information for clients about both traditional vasectomy and NSV. The NSV Doctors' list helps clients in the U.S. and Canada locate doctors in their area who have been trained in the technique. Doctors who provide NSV services may submit their profiles electronically through the site to be added to AVSC's database of NSV providers and trainers.
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This article cites findings reported in Haws, J. M., et al., 1998, Clinical aspects of vasectomies performed in the United States in 1995, Urology 52:685-691. Jeanne M. Haws was the AVSC project manager and lead author of the study.
