What Are the Age Limits for a Vasectomy?
Generally, anyone can choose to have a vasectomy after turning 18 years old (the acceptable age) in any jurisdiction in the United States. However, vasectomy at certain ages may have obstacles and side effects.
Vasectomy before 18
No state legally allows vasectomies before the age of 18. Although people can have sexual intercourse before this age, you are most advised to use other birth control methods. This is because vasectomy is permanent, and the person electing to have the procedure may decide to have children later in life but be unable to. Reversals are possible in many cases, but they can be expensive and sometimes impossible.
Vasectomy at 18
Although 18 is the legal age most doctors will still refuse to perform the surgery, especially if:
They believe that the individual is too young to make an informed decision;
They feel that the person may regret the decision and want a reversal later on’
They have underlying health conditions that may make a vasectomy risky.
However, the procedure can still be successfully done after the age of 18, and there are no laws that prohibit vasectomy after 18. Doctors who refuse to perform these procedures on no other legal grounds may be subject to legal action, like malpractice suits.
Vasectomy at 21
Many doctors believe that 21 is still too young for an individual to make a potentially life-altering decision. The National Institutes of Health [2] also reports that people who choose to get vasectomies in their 20s are much more likely to want a reversal than people in any other age group. Some doctors will take out time to discuss the long-term effect of vasectomy to the individual, in case the person reconsiders.
Vasectomy at 25
By age 25, many individuals have become parents or are in relationships in which a vasectomy seems to be a logical choice for them to reduce the risk of unwanted pregnancies for health or personal reasons.
At the age of 25 your doctor will most likely not object to your choice of a vasectomy. But doctors are still likely to counsel 25 year-olds to consider other birth control options. They may also recommend that they store sperm in a sperm bank for future fertilization procedures if they’re still considering having a child in the future.
Vasectomy after 25
After age 25, vasectomies become much more common. Study has shown that the average age for a person getting a vasectomy was 37 years old for people living in cities, and about 36 for those in rural communities. The average person getting a vasectomy was also found to have one to three children.