Male or female sterilization: a comparative study *

The study compares 709 males and 546 females recruited from a well-defined geographic area and sterilized during a 5-year period at the same hospital. Medical records were reviewed and questionnaires sent out. Widespread satisfaction with the sterilization was found. The sterilized women had experienced contraceptive side effects and failures more often than the men. Only 70% of the laparoscopic sterilizations could be carried out during a 1-day admission, 25% of the women complained about long-term sequelae, and there were 1% failures. The vasectomies were carried out on an outpatient basis, there were few postoperative symptoms, and 0.5% failures were recorded. Female sterilization was at least four times as expensive as vasectomy. It is concluded that vasectomy is generally to be preferred to female sterilization, and that the preoperative guidance should involve both man and wife.