Dr Gareth James, president of the Association of Surgeons in Primary Care (ASPC), has urged caution over claims that vasectomy uptake is falling among British men. Writing in response to a recent article, he argues that official NHS figures may present an incomplete picture.
NHS Digital recorded 10,710 vasectomies in England in 2022-23. However, ASPC members reported an additional 17,776 procedures performed in community and primary care settings during the same period—procedures not reflected in the national total. Dr James notes that the ASPC has repeatedly tried to have these figures included in official datasets, without success.
He suggests the apparent decline may stem from restricted access rather than reduced demand. “In many areas, the problem is that access has been capped, underfunded, restricted or even withdrawn,” he writes. If commissioners rely on incomplete data, they may assume demand is falling and cut services further, creating a self-fulfilling cycle of longer waits and fewer procedures.
Dr James warns that this could push the contraceptive burden back onto women. “The question is therefore not only ‘why aren’t more British men having vasectomies?’ It is also ‘why is the NHS making it so difficult for men to take responsibility for contraception?’”
