Ask the Doctor

From Peter:-
I had a vasectomy in May last year (2007) and to date have supllied 4 samples. I am about to supply my 5th. On the 2nd sample it said it was clear but on the next 2 it says sperm is still present. I am a little confused as to why it would go from clear to presence of sperm How long is it likely to take to get all clears and if I continue to show the presence of sperm is it likely that I will need to have the procedure re-done? The procedure was performed by cutting sections and then tying the ends.

From Elly:-
My husband had a vasectomy at the start of May 2007 and has had 3 sperm tests since. The first test was 4 months after and it said he has fewer than 16 thousand per ml and the last two say he has fewer than 10 thousand per ml. The last test was a week before Christmas. They are not testing for mobility only if there is sperm present. That’s what they say they do for post vasectomy results. Is it possible for me to fall pregnant? Also does this mean it has failed or it is just taking longer than anyone else for the sperm to go? He has had lots more than the ejaculations they state he has to have.

Persistent sperm in the ejaculate after a vasectomy procedure can be due to one of two reasons. Most commonly, their are a few non-motile sperm in the ejaculate. If the semen analysis is not performed with a pelleted sample this can be missed. Subsequent semen analyses can show sperm. This is due to inadequate clearance of sperm from the vas deferens downstream from the vasectomy site prior to obtaining the semen analysis. Patience and increased ejaculatory frequency and count should correct this problem. If there are motile sperm in the ejaculate then this is due to a vasectomy failure. In this case, the vasectomy should be re-done.