Background: Within the spectrum of health-related concerns, sexual and reproductive health stands out as a domain where gender-based disparities against women are notably pronounced. The introduction of male surgical sterilization procedures has the potential to mitigate this gender inequity.
Methods: The Colombian Ministry of Health manages the SISPRO information system, encompassing comprehensive records of all medical procedures. Providers must input data for surgical interventions to secure reimbursement from health insurers. Data spanning the five-year period from 2017 to 2021 was collected nationwide for vasectomy and tubal sterilization procedures, including patient age, geographical location, and fees paid to providers in Colombian pesos (COP). Male-to-female (F/M) ratios were computed for each of Colombia's 32 departments and Bogota Capital District, further categorized into five regions: Amazon, Andes, Caribbean, Orinoco, and Pacific. Sterilization rates were determined for each region and the entire country by dividing procedure counts by the respective female or male populations, as reported by the National Statistics Department (DANE) in 2019. Conversion to US dollars (USD) was performed using the 2019 average official exchange rate (1 USD = 3,208.09 COP).
Results: Over this period, SISPRO registered 279,486 tubal sterilization procedures and 68,384 vasectomies. The average national F/M ratio stood at 4.09. Bogota, the capital city, exhibited the lowest F/M ratio (1.94), while Sucre, a Caribbean department, recorded the highest (76.9). Generally, the Caribbean region displayed the highest F/M ratios (average 25.95) and the lowest sterilization rates per 1000 for both females (9.40) and males (0.36). The national averages were 11.0 and 2.8, respectively. Vasectomy cost an average of USD $95.16 per procedure, whereas tubal ligation procedures averaged USD $146.70.
Conclusions: Multidisciplinary societal-based mechanisms for male contraception participation must be actively integrated into communities, with particular emphasis on the Caribbean region.