The issue of male contraception is coming straight from the shadows and into the open as men use male contraceptives openly and with confidence. Former NBA player Tristan Thompson caused a huge stir when he appeared on his ex-girlfriend Khloé Kardashian’s podcast, Khloé in Wonder Land, in late May 2026. Thompson said he recently got a vasectomy after a “candid discussion” with Kardashian about their future children.

Having fathered four kids from three different co-parenting arrangements, Thompson said he had “enough baby mamas” and wanted a “forever” solution. The athlete reported that the outpatient procedure was very quick (15 minutes). It’s a surgery that’s performed on more than 500,000 men each year in the U.S. and is a reliable long-term birth control method, USA Today reports.

How a vasectomy works

The Cleveland Clinic says that a vasectomy is a very effective, permanent minor surgical procedure to keep sperm from mixing with semen during ejaculation. Contrary to popular belief, it does not affect a man’s sex drive, erectile function or levels of testosterone.

The surgery involves the vas (the two muscular tubes that transport ripe sperm from the testicles), according to the Mayo Clinic. The minor operation is done under local anesthesia – the patient is fully conscious, but the area is completely numbed.

The doctor punctures or incises a small opening in the scrotum, cuts the tubes and seals the ends with heat or surgical clips. This physical barrier allows the body to keep making normal semen, but prevents the semen from escaping from the body, and it is reabsorbed harmlessly over time.

Common side effects

A vasectomy is a surgical procedure, so it is quite normal to have some mild side effects for the first few days. These symptoms are part of the natural healing process and usually resolve within a week.

The Cleveland Clinic says that patients often complain of a dull ache or even a pressure feeling in the scrotum called “scrotal congestion. Some swelling, bruising and a small area of redness around the incision are also very common. Some men may have a sperm granuloma, a totally harmless and non-dangerous lump, as a result of microscopic leakage of fluid from the sealed tubes, which is naturally reabsorbed by the body.

Rare or serious side effects

A vasectomy is generally regarded as one of the safest operations; however, there are very few complications that occur during this procedure that need to be monitored by a health care provider.

A small percentage of patients may develop an infection at the incision site, which typically requires only a short course of oral antibiotics. A small vessel may also leak in the scrotum, resulting in a localized blood collection (hematoma).

Moreover, most men will never experience any long-term complications, but in the rest of the world, around 1% to 2% of men experience chronic or ongoing testicular pain, a condition known as Post-Vasectomy Pain Syndrome, as per a PMC publication.

What to do if you notice symptoms

When you decide to undergo this treatment, it’s essential to ensure you receive the right care for your immediate recovery, avoid complications and stay as physically safe as possible.

When the symptoms are typical (dull groin pain or mild swelling), a urologist may advise lying on your back, wearing supportive underwear and putting on an ice pack to the area for 20 minutes at a time. But if you experience sudden, severe swelling, a high fever or bleeding from the puncture site, you should seek medical help right away.

What age is best for a vasectomy?

There is no single “perfect” age for a vasectomy, as the decision depends entirely on a man’s personal lifestyle goals, existing family size and long-term reproductive choices. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the procedure is most frequently sought out by men between the ages of 30 and 45 who have already completed their desired family.

It’s important to note that a vasectomy will not give instant birth control. Millions of active sperm cells remain trapped in the upper tubes right after surgery until a semen analysis performed at a later time, typically eight to 16 weeks after the first, confirms a zero sperm count, according to StatPearls. Alternative contraception methods need to be used.

While adults over the age of 18 are legally permitted to request the surgery, many urologists advise younger men without children to think carefully. Because life circumstances change, choosing this permanent method too early can sometimes lead to future regret, making maturity and total certainty the most important benchmarks.

What are the downsides of a vasectomy?

Dr. Arthur L. Burnett II tells Blavity Health, “High-profile discussions about vasectomy can help normalize conversations around men’s reproductive health and shared responsibility in family planning. One of the most common misconceptions I encounter is that vasectomy affects masculinity, sexual performance or hormone levels. In reality, the procedure does not reduce testosterone production or sexual function. For the right candidate, it can be a safe, effective and highly reliable option for permanent contraception.”

While a vasectomy boasts an incredible success rate, patients must weigh a few distinct clinical and lifestyle downsides before lying down on the operating table.

First, a vasectomy does absolutely nothing to protect you from catching or spreading sexually transmitted infections (STIs); individuals must still utilize barrier methods like condoms for physical protection. Second, the procedure must be viewed as completely permanent.

While reversals are technically possible, they require complex microsurgery, are rarely covered by health insurance, and do not guarantee a return of fertility. This permanence is why couples like Khloé Kardashian and Tristan Thompson frequently choose to proactively freeze and save sperm samples before the procedure is performed.

Alternatives

When choosing permanent birth control, a male vasectomy is a minor outpatient surgery using a local numbing block. The patient remains awake, and recovery takes just two to three days. It offers a simple, low-risk strategy for reliable, long-term family planning.

According to the NIH, female tubal ligation is an invasive abdominal surgery requiring laparoscopic entry and general anesthesia. This procedure carries standard surgical risks and a longer recovery of one to two weeks, making it a much more intense medical undertaking.

For highly effective but temporary prevention, Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) requires only a quick, in-office placement. These non-surgical options offer instant recovery with zero downtime and are completely reversible whenever an individual decides to conceive.

“The best candidates for a vasectomy are couples who are done having kids or men who may be single and know that for sure they do not want any kids in the future,” said Dr. Amarnath Rambhatla, MD, a urologist at Henry Ford Health and director of men’s health at the Vattikuti Urology Institute in Detroit. That is “because we do consider it a permanent form of sterilization. It can be reversed, but really we want people going into it with the idea of permanent sterilization.”

Bottom line

Tristan Thompson’s recent public disclosure highlighted that a vasectomy is a quick, 15-minute outpatient procedure that cuts and seals the vas deferens tubes to prevent the release of sperm. While the minor surgery is exceptionally low-risk and has zero impact on a man’s hormones or sexual performance, it must be approached as a completely permanent choice. By understanding the required post-op recovery steps, tracking for rare infection signs and completing follow-up sterility testing, men can safely and confidently take total control of their reproductive futures.

Frequently Asked Questions

What celebrities have had a vasectomy?

A rapidly growing list of high-profile celebrities have openly discussed getting a vasectomy, including Tristan Thompson, Ashton Kutcher, country star Kane Brown, Dax Shepard and television host Dr. Phil McGraw.

How many baby mamas does Tristan Thompson have?

Tristan Thompson has four children across three different co-parenting relationships, sharing two children with Khloé Kardashian alongside two sons with Jordan Craig and Maralee Nichols.

Citations

Dupre E. Tristan Thompson, Ashton Kutcher, Kane Brown and More Celebrities Who Have Gotten Vasectomies. E! Online. Published May 29, 2026. Accessed June 4, 2026. https://www.eonline.com/news/1432486/celebrity-vasectomies-ashton-kutcher-kane-brown-tristan-thompson

Moniuszko S. Khloé Kardashian convinced her ex to get a vasectomy. What is it? USA TODAY. Published May 29, 2026. Accessed June 4, 2026. https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2026/05/29/khloe-kardashian-tristan-thompson-vasectomy/90311840007/

Cleveland Clinic. A vasectomy is a safe, effective and permanent form of birth control. A surgeon separates your vas deferens so sperm can’t mix with your semen. Cleveland Clinic. Published September 8, 2023. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/procedures/4423-vasectomy

Mayo Clinic . Vasectomy – Mayo Clinic. Mayoclinic.org. Published February 9, 2023. https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/vasectomy/about/pac-20384580

Cleveland Clinic. Post-Vasectomy Pain Syndrome: Causes & Treatment. Cleveland Clinic. Published 2025. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23048-post-vasectomy-pain-syndrome

Sinha V, Ramasamy R. Post-vasectomy pain syndrome: diagnosis, management and treatment options. Translational Andrology and Urology. 2017;6(Suppl 1):S44-S47. doi:https://doi.org/10.21037/tau.2017.05.33

Stormont G, Deibert CM. Vasectomy. PubMed. Published 2020. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK549904/

Daniels K, Abma J. Current Contraceptive Status among Women Ages 15–49: United States, 2022–2023. Published online July 17, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/hestat108.htm

Gossman W, Canela CD, Nama N. Tubal sterilization. PubMed. Published 2024. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470377/