More young men getting sterilized because they don’t want children

Urologists in the Netherlands have noticed an increase in young men under 30 requesting sterilization, NOS reports after surveying almost all urology clinics in the country. About a third said they’ve noticed more young men wanting sterilization because they don’t want children. The climate crisis is an often-cited reason. Another is that they don’t want to pass on their genes because of genetic conditions.

Urologist Melianthe Nicolai performs around 500 sterilizations per year and regularly sees young men in her clinic who don’t want children. “A 29-year-old biologist recently came here, and he absolutely had something against more people on Earth because he saw how much the environment was suffering because of humanity. He just didn’t want to contribute to that,” she told the broadcaster.

The majority of men who want the procedure are between 35 and 40 years old. The reason varies. Most have the desired number of children and want to take the pressure off their partner so that they no longer have to take (hormonal) contraception.

Men who want sterilization can go to a GP, hospital, or specialist clinic. According to NOS, research shows that about 2 to 6 percent of men later regret the procedure. The percentage is higher among men who decide to get sterilized at a younger age. About 11 percent of men who got the procedure under age 25 later regretted it. The guideline for urologists also says that single men are more likely to later regret sterilization.