Demographics of men receiving vasectomies in Poland 2019-2020.

Abstract

Introduction: The demographics of men undergoing vasectomy in Poland has not been thoroughly evaluated. The objective of the study is to characterise patients who underwent vasectomy in 2019-2020 in terms of their motivation, the level of acceptance of the method, their social and health status and the way religion influenced their choice.

Material and methods: This is a prospective observational study based on a survey taken before vasectomy. The surveys attached were collected in 2019-2020. A total number of 253 surveys were collected.

Results: A total of 43 men aged between 31 and 40 constituted 56.52% of all patients. Of the patients surveyed, 123 (48.62%) were in their first stable relationship. In total, 230 participants (90.91%) declared no intention of having children. A total of 128 patients surveyed (50.59%) showed no interest in the possibility of adoption, whereas 109 (43.08%) did consider adoption. Most of the patients - 150 (59.29%), had been considering vasectomy for 1-3 years. The most popular contraceptive methods were oral contraception - 68 surveyed (26.88%) and condoms - 66 (26.09%). Vasectomy did not collide with religion in 241 cases (95.26%). Seven patients (2.77%) chose vasectomy due to a genetic defect. A total of 46 out of 243 men (18.18%) chose this contraceptive method due to their partners' health.

Conclusions: Vasectomy in Poland has been performed for over 18 years, however, accessibility has been limited. Recently, the procedure has been gaining in popularity. Now the age structure and partnership status correspond with the data from other centres in the world. Our study showed positive trends of co-responsibility of both partners for procreation and family planning.