With the countdown to Christmas well underway and holiday plans in full swing, Australia’s leading sexual and reproductive healthcare organisation, Marie Stopes International, today urged men to consider vasectomy as a permanent contraceptive option – bringing a whole new meaning to stringing up your balls for Christmas!

“With the holiday season about to descend on us, now is the perfect time for men who have been considering a permanent method of contraception to take a few days off and have a vasectomy,” said Suzanne Dvorak, Australian CEO of Marie Stopes International.

Vasectomy is an ideal method of contraception for men who have completed their families and, with a 99.5% success rate, is safe, simple, highly effective and permanent. Research, however, has shown that some men are afraid to undergo a vasectomy as they believe it is will affect their sexual performance and testosterone levels.

The major independent survey of 1000 men, conducted by Quantum Market Research, also found that 24% of men wrongly believed that having a vasectomy is ‘really painful’ and were reluctant to talk about both contraception and their own sexual and reproductive health.1

“The truth is that having a vasectomy is a relatively pain free procedure, and won’t effect your sex life or performance,” Ms Dvorak said.

“Many couples have actually found greater sexual freedom once they no longer have the worry of contraception or an unplanned pregnancy.”

To provide men with the opportunity to find out more about vasectomy without leaving the comforts of their own home or office, Marie Stopes International developed an online vasectomy information video.

Vasectomy: Australian Men’s Perspective, features three men who have had a vasectomy, including 40-year-old Robert, who shot to fame last year when he made Australian television history by having a vasectomy live on national TV.

“Feedback has shown that the video has helped in allaying men’s fears about the procedure and dispelling many of the myths that remain about vasectomy,” Ms Dvorak said.

“Hopefully by listening to the three men’s experiences and finding out answers to their questions about the procedure, men considering a vasectomy will see how relatively straightforward one really is.”

Vasectomy: Australian Men’s Perspective can be downloaded at www.vasectomyinfo.com.au