Surgery Online

What does a vasectomy cost?

introduction

Many men decide to have a vasectomy after family planning is complete. This is a relatively inexpensive and safe method of contraception, which, however, has to be paid for in person.
In an outpatient operation, the sperm ducts, through which the sperm are normally transported to the penis, are cut. Vasectomy, also known as sterilization, is a standard urological procedure with few risks. The function of the testicle remains unaffected.

What are the total costs?

The cost of a vasectomy has to be paid by the patient, as it is not a medically necessary procedure. The vasectomy is therefore a so-called IGEL service, i.e. an individual health service.

The total costs usually amount to around € 400 to € 500.
The billing takes place according to the fee schedule for doctors and thus the price cannot be freely selected by the urologist.
Follow-up treatments and controls, such as the semen analysis, are included in the price.

The spermiograms are necessary because the vasectomy does not directly render sterile and therefore paternity would still be possible after the operation. In comparison with other contraceptives, vasectomy is very cheap. If you compare the costs of taking pills regularly, the vasectomy is worthwhile in less than two years.
However, a vasectomy should only be performed after family planning has been safely completed.

The operation can be reversed, but it is complicated and, at around 5000 €, significantly more expensive than the vasectomy. The health insurance only pays for the treatments in medically necessary cases, but this is very rare.

Please also read: How can you reverse a vasectomy?

General anesthetic costs

Usually, a vasectomy is not performed under general anesthesia. Local anesthesia is usually used and the man is given a sedative.
The costs of a general anesthetic are specified in the fee schedule for doctors with a little more than € 200.
Local anesthesia is significantly cheaper at less than € 100.

General anesthesia is usually only given to anxious patients.

What costs does the statutory health insurance cover?

In most cases, the vasectomy is a private decision that is not medically necessary.
The vasectomy is therefore an individual health service (IGEL) and must be paid for entirely privately by the man.
You also have to pay for the pre- and post-operative care as well as the anesthesia.

The health insurance company only pays for complications or medically necessary vasectomies, which are very rare.
A reversal of the operation must also be paid for by the person concerned.

What is the cost of undoing the vasectomy?

Reversing the vasectomy, also known as vasovasostemy, is a complicated procedure because the vas deferens must be reconnected microsurgically.

The costs are between € 2,000 and € 5,000 and you have to pay them entirely yourself. It is an IGEL service. In addition, there is no guarantee of success.
A vasectomy should therefore only be performed if family planning has been safely completed.

Does it make financial sense to have the operation carried out abroad?

A vasectomy can theoretically also be performed abroad. However, this does not usually make sense in terms of costs.
The costs for the procedure are sometimes cheaper, but the travel costs negate this advantage.

An example calculation is an offer from Turkey.
The costs there, including travel expenses, amount to around € 800, which is twice as much as an intervention in Germany.