Does having a vasectomy eliminate you as a sperm donor? Can you still bank sperm?

Answers from doctors (4)


More About Doctor John C. McHugh, MD

Published on Oct 03, 2017

Yes it does make you sterile and your semen has no sperm. So you cannot be a sperm donor. They may however aspirate your testicles to harvest sperm for in vitro.

Answered by John C. McHugh, MD (View Profile)

Yes it does make you sterile and your semen has no sperm. So you cannot be a sperm donor. They may however aspirate your testicles to harvest sperm for in vitro.

Published on Jul 11, 2012


Once a patient has had a vasectomy, he is no longer ejaculating sperm. Thus, at this point, he would not be able to be an anonymous donor. However, he does continue to make sperm; they just do not leave the scrotum. If he should choose to be an anonymous donor in the future, he would need to undergo a vasectomy reversal. Should he wish to be a designated donor--in other words, have his sperm used for someone that he knows--sperm could be retrieved from the scrotum. However, these sperm could only achieve a pregnancy when combined with an in vitro fertilization cycle.

Answered by Michael A. Werner, MD, FACS (View Profile)

Once a patient has had a vasectomy, he is no longer ejaculating sperm. Thus, at this point, he would not be able to be an anonymous donor. However, he does continue to make sperm; they just do not leave the scrotum. If he should choose to be an anonymous donor in the future, he would need to undergo a vasectomy reversal. Should he wish to be a designated donor--in other words, have his sperm used for someone that he knows--sperm could be retrieved from the scrotum. However, these sperm could only achieve a pregnancy when combined with an in vitro fertilization cycle.

Published on Jul 11, 2012


More About Doctor Allen Futral, MD

Published on May 17, 2016

After a successful vasectomy, sperm can only be obtained by a procedure, either an aspiration of the epididymis or by reversal. Even then, the quality would be poor and likely exclude you as a donor. Sperm banking may be done prior to a vasectomy but, as mentioned above, would not be easily obtained after.

Answered by Allen Futral, MD (View Profile)

After a successful vasectomy, sperm can only be obtained by a procedure, either an aspiration of the epididymis or by reversal. Even then, the quality would be poor and likely exclude you as a donor. Sperm banking may be done prior to a vasectomy but, as mentioned above, would not be easily obtained after.

Published on Jul 11, 2012


More About Doctor Theodore V. Benderev, MD

Published on May 17, 2016

Once the vas deferens is closed with a vasectomy, you cannot collect any more sperm, unless you have a reversal.

Answered by Theodore V. Benderev, MD (View Profile)

Once the vas deferens is closed with a vasectomy, you cannot collect any more sperm, unless you have a reversal.

Published on Jul 11, 2012


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