14 November is World Vasectomy Day, championing vasectomy as an effective and empowering contraceptive choice. MSI is working to expand access to it.
Vasectomy is a method of contraception that enables men to take an active role in sharing responsibility for their family’s reproductive decisions and future.
There are more men choosing to have a vasectomy, as information and services become increasingly available. But progress is slow – there’s a shortage of trained providers, a low interest in prioritising vasectomy within health systems, and entrenched gendered social norms that turn men away from this option. In Africa for example, fewer than 100,000 men across the continent have had a vasectomy.
It’s crucial that globally we can normalise this choice, so that men can meaningfully engage in reproductive healthcare.
A new project to expand vasectomy
MSI and World Vasectomy Day launched a bold new partnership this year to educate men about this method and expand access to services in Zambia and Uganda.
We’re shifting norms to champion men’s contraceptive responsibility, expanding choice for men and couples, and embedding vasectomy into health systems to enable sustainable access in the long term.
In just six months across these two countries, 750 men have chosen to have vasectomies – and we expect this will grow significantly over the next 3.5 years of the project.
MSI celebrates World Vasectomy Day
To mark World Vasectomy Day this year, MSI country programmes in India, Bangladesh, Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia will join a 24-hour global vasectomy marathon, featuring live-streamed panels educating people on clinical quality, health system readiness, and advocacy.
Throughout the month, MSI’s country teams are harnessing the momentum and global conversation to explore masculinity, strategies to reach underserved men, and ways to advance men’s inclusion in sexual and reproductive health.
Expanding contraceptive access for men is about broadening choices, and ensuring all families can make the informed reproductive health decisions that are right for them.
