title: Contraceptive sterilization among married adults: national data on who chooses vasectomy and tubal sterilization.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vasectomy has been found to be a highly cost-effective contraceptive method. For couples, tubal sterilization and vasectomy have the same result, but the two methods are used by different segments of the population.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted an analysis of data from male and female samples of the 2006-2008 National Survey of Family Growth, nationally representative samples of men and women in the United States aged 15-44 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among married men, 13.1% reported vasectomies (95% confidence interval 10.4%-16.3%), compared to 21.1% (17.8%-24.9%) of married women who reported tubal sterilizations. Men with higher education and income had greater prevalence of vasectomy than those less educated, while women with lower education and income had the highest prevalence of tubal sterilization.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Efforts to promote vasectomy use need to understand the reasons behind these differences. Increasing the availability and use of vasectomy will require education about its benefits.
authors: Women's Health and Fertility Branch, Division of Reproductive Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 303041, USA. jea1@cdc.gov
authors: John E
authors: JE
authors: Anderson
authors: Denise J
authors: DJ
authors: Jamieson
authors: Lee
authors: L
authors: Warner
authors: Dmitry M
authors: DM
authors: Kissin
authors: Ajay K
authors: AK
authors: Nangia
authors: Maurizio
authors: M
authors: Macaluso
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D044383:Black People; D004522:Educational Status; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D013246:Sterilization, Tubal / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States; D014659:Vasectomy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D044465:White People; D001741:Black or African American