Trend, client profile and surgical features of vasectomy in Ghana

ABSTRACTObjective To examine the socio-demographic and reproductive characteristics of vasectomy acceptors and surgical features of vasectomy in Ghana.Methods Retrospective review of 271 vasectomies performed between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2009 in three healthcare facilities.Results Less than 0.5% of family planning clients opt for vasectomy in Ghana; acceptors are both professional and semi-skilled workers. The mean age of vasectomy acceptors was 40.7 years, and their mean number of children four. All clients had two children or more; there was a trend towards a greater number of children with increasing age (p trend <0.001) or a lower educational level of the clients (p trend =0.01). Most clients obtained their information on vasectomy through the media and healthcare workers. Nearly all vasectomies were performed under local anaesthesia using the no-scalpel technique. The operating time of gynaecologists was significantly shorter than that of urologists (median operating time 10 minutes vs. 25 ...