Vasectomy
A vasectomy interrupts the two tubes that carry sperm from the testicles into the semen, making a man permanently unable to father a child. It is a short procedure usually done in a urologist's office under local anesthetic. It does not work immediately — a later semen test is what confirms it.
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What it is
Sperm made in the testicles travel to the semen through a pair of tubes called the vas deferens. A vasectomy reaches those tubes through the scrotum and interrupts each one — cutting it, tying or sealing the ends, and often removing a short segment. After that, semen is still produced and ejaculated normally; it simply no longer carries sperm. The traditional approach uses a small incision on each side. The no-scalpel version, now common, uses a tiny puncture instead and needs no stitches. Either way the procedure is performed with local anesthetic and the man is awake.
Why it is done
- As permanent contraception for a man who is sure he does not want to father children in the future
- As an alternative to female sterilization, which is a more involved operation
- For couples who cannot use, or do not want to keep using, other methods of birth control
- Where a future pregnancy would pose a health risk to a partner
What to expect
The procedure itself takes a matter of minutes to about half an hour. Afterwards there is soreness, swelling and bruising for a few days; ice, support and rest are the usual advice, and most men are back at work within a couple of days. The important part is the follow-up: sperm remain in the system for some time after the tubes are cut, so another method of contraception is needed until a semen sample is checked and confirmed clear. That check is a separate laboratory test, usually a few months later. A vasectomy is intended to be permanent — reversal is a much bigger and less predictable operation, and is not always successful.
Questions worth asking
- Is this being done in the urologist's office, at a surgery center, or in a hospital? An office vasectomy avoids a facility fee entirely.
- Is the confirmatory semen analysis included in the quoted price, or billed separately by a lab — and is that lab in network?
- Does my plan cover male sterilization? Many plans cover female sterilization as preventive care without covering this the same way.
- If sedation is offered rather than local anesthetic alone, what does that add to the bill?
What Vasectomy costs by state
- Vasectomy cost in Texas — 105 hospitals, median $4,572.37
- Vasectomy cost in California — 82 hospitals, median $3,863.60
- Vasectomy cost in Ohio — 43 hospitals, median $6,124.95
- Vasectomy cost in Illinois — 32 hospitals, median $9,024.90
- Vasectomy cost in Washington — 29 hospitals, median $1,371.20
- Vasectomy cost in Michigan — 26 hospitals, median $2,874.36
- Vasectomy cost in Florida — 25 hospitals, median $7,656.35
- Vasectomy cost in Indiana — 25 hospitals, median not published by hospital
- Vasectomy cost in Tennessee — 25 hospitals, median $898.95
- Vasectomy cost in Georgia — 24 hospitals, median $2,256.54
- Vasectomy cost in New Jersey — 21 hospitals, median $3,986.00
- Vasectomy cost in Arizona — 20 hospitals, median $357.68
- Vasectomy cost in New York — 19 hospitals, median $2,424.12
- Vasectomy cost in Virginia — 19 hospitals, median $898.95
- Vasectomy cost in Iowa — 18 hospitals, median $892.00
- Vasectomy cost in Pennsylvania — 17 hospitals, median $2,595.00
- Vasectomy cost in Wisconsin — 17 hospitals, median $411.28
- Vasectomy cost in Colorado — 16 hospitals, median $5,406.23
- Vasectomy cost in Missouri — 15 hospitals, median $485.10
- Vasectomy cost in West Virginia — 15 hospitals, median $2,107.00
- Vasectomy cost in North Carolina — 14 hospitals, median $11,342.00
- Vasectomy cost in Oregon — 13 hospitals, median $816.64
- Vasectomy cost in Minnesota — 10 hospitals, median $3,408.00
- Vasectomy cost in Nebraska — 10 hospitals, median $777.84
- Vasectomy cost in Oklahoma — 9 hospitals, median not published by hospital
- Vasectomy cost in South Carolina — 9 hospitals, median $2,653.50
- Vasectomy cost in Kansas — 8 hospitals, median not published by hospital
- Vasectomy cost in Maine — 7 hospitals, median not published by hospital
- Vasectomy cost in Louisiana — 6 hospitals, median not published by hospital
- Vasectomy cost in Mississippi — 5 hospitals, median $659.34
- Vasectomy cost in Alaska — 4 hospitals, median $739.44
- Vasectomy cost in Nevada — 3 hospitals, median not published by hospital
- Vasectomy cost in Hawaii — 2 hospitals, median $189.12
- Vasectomy cost in Kentucky — 2 hospitals, median $1,316.88
- Vasectomy cost in Montana — 2 hospitals, median $496.80
- Vasectomy cost in New Mexico — 2 hospitals, median not published by hospital
- Vasectomy cost in North Dakota — 2 hospitals, median not published by hospital
- Vasectomy cost in South Dakota — 2 hospitals, median not published by hospital
- Vasectomy cost in Arkansas — 1 hospitals, median not published by hospital
- Vasectomy cost in New Hampshire — 1 hospitals, median not published by hospital
- Vasectomy cost in Wyoming — 1 hospitals, median not published by hospital
Vasectomy prices at hospitals
- Vasectomy at HANFORD COMMUNITY HOSPITAL, Selma — $154.09
- Vasectomy at ADVENTIST HEALTH TULARE, Tulare — $154.09
- Vasectomy at CASTLE MEDICAL CENTER, Kailua — $189.12
- Vasectomy at REEDLEY COMMUNITY HOSPITAL, Reedley — $224.96
- Vasectomy at LODI MEMORIAL HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION INC, Lodi — $236.46
- Vasectomy at Potomac Valley Hospital, Keyser — $242.50
- Vasectomy at St. Joseph's Hospital, Buckhannon — $242.50
- Vasectomy at Braxton County Memorial Hospital, Gassaway — $248.00
- Vasectomy at Barnesville Hospital, Barnesville — $262.50
- Vasectomy at ADVENTIST HEALTH MEDICAL CENTER TEHACHAPI, Tehachapi — $319.68
- Vasectomy at Corewell Health Lakeland Watervliet, Watervliet — $335.00
- Vasectomy at Corewell Health Lakeland St. Joseph, St Joseph — $335.00
- Vasectomy at Banner Page Hospital, Page — $357.68
- Vasectomy at Grant Memorial Hospital, Petersburg — $388.00
- Vasectomy at Ascension Columbia St. Mary's Hospital - Ozaukee Campus (Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Milwaukee, Inc.), Mequon — $411.28
- Vasectomy at CHI Health Mercy Corning, Corning — $444.48
- Vasectomy at CHI Health Missouri Valley, Missouri Valley — $453.74
- Vasectomy at SSM Health St. Clare Hospital - Fenton, Fenton — $485.10
- Vasectomy at SSM Health DePaul Hospital - St. Louis, Bridgeton — $485.10
- Vasectomy at SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital- Wentzville, Wentzville — $485.10
See every published price for Vasectomy: the full national range, the state and hospital breakdowns, and which hospitals charge the least.
Vasectomy cost — see all prices →Sources
- MedlinePlus: Vasectomy (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)
- Wikipedia (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)