A New Study from Dr. Jean-Philippe Bercier Questions the Need for Sterile Gloves in Vasectomy

Author Name:Dr. Jean-Philippe Bercier 

Author Bio:Dr. Jean-Philippe Bercier is a Canadian physician and Medical Director of Clinique Vasectomie. Trained at the University of Ottawa, he has a background in family medicine, hospital medicine, and obstetrics. He specializes in no-scalpel, no-needle vasectomy techniques and has performed more than 25,000 procedures across Ontario and Quebec.

Summary

Vasectomy infection risk with non-sterile gloves was the focus of a new study led by Dr. Jean-Philippe Bercier, published in the Canadian Urological Association Journal. Reviewing 4,785 office-based procedures across four Canadian clinics, researchers recorded an infection rate of just 0.08 percent. The findings support existing evidence that meticulous technique, not glove sterility, drives infection prevention in no-scalpel vasectomy. 

Key Highlights

• Research spanned four outpatient clinics across Ontario and Quebec over fifteen months 
• Validated results through patient callbacks and a randomized telephone follow-up sample 
• Called for larger prospective studies to confirm findings across other clinical settings 

A retrospective review of nearly 4,800 procedures, published in the Canadian Urological Association Journal, lends new Canadian evidence to the case for efficient, evidence-based vasectomy care. 

Dr. Jean-Philippe Bercier, a general practitioner and high-volume vasectomy provider at Bercier Clinic in Ottawa, has co-authored a new peer-reviewed study that takes up an important question that touches nearly every vasectomy performed in North America: is a sterile glove actually necessary to keep a patient safe? 

The paper, titled “Risk of Post-Vasectomy Infection Using Non-Sterile Gloves: A Retrospective Audit of 4,785 Office-Based Procedures,” appeared July 7, 2026, in the Canadian Urological Association Journal (CUAJ), the peer-reviewed publication of the Canadian Urological Association. Dr. Bercier led the research, working alongside co-authors Valérie Dumais, Daniel Trottier, Mélanie Savard-Côté and Michel Labrecque. 

Why the Question Matters

Vasectomy ranks among the most common outpatient procedures in family medicine and urology, and for decades sterile gloves have been treated as a matter of course. Yet sterile gloves cost more than clean, non-sterile examination gloves, take longer to open and contribute to the mounting waste generated by high-volume clinics. In recent years, a body of systematic reviews spanning minor surgery, dermatology, and wound repair has found that clean, non-sterile gloves carry no greater infection risk than their sterile counterparts. A 2023 multicenter study of more than 130,000 no-scalpel vasectomies performed in Canada, Colombia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom arrived at a similar conclusion. 

For Dr. Bercier, that evidence lined up with what he was already seeing in his own clinics. “Once I became confident that sterile gloves did not appear to provide an additional benefit in preventing infection during office-based vasectomy, I saw several potential advantages to using non-sterile gloves: they are less expensive, more efficient to use, and generate less packaging and environmental waste,” he said. 

These many advantages convinced him to conduct this study. “Given the very high number of vasectomies performed worldwide, even a small change in practice could have a meaningful cumulative impact,” Dr. Bercier said. “I wanted to share our experience and data with colleagues, particularly those working in high-volume vasectomy clinics around the world. I felt that publishing our findings in a peer-reviewed medical journal was the most credible and trustworthy way to evaluate the evidence and share this knowledge with the broader medical community.” 

In January 2024, Dr. Bercier’s clinical network put that conviction into practice, adopting non-sterile gloves for no-scalpel vasectomy across its clinics in Ontario and Quebec. The new study in CUAJ amounts to an audit of that decision: did abandoning sterile gloves alter the risk of infection for patients? 

Inside the Study

The research team examined every no-scalpel vasectomy performed between January 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025, across four outpatient clinics in Ottawa, Hawkesbury, Gatineau, and Montreal: 4,785 procedures in total, carried out by four physicians with varying degrees of experience. Each procedure followed a standardized skin-preparation protocol, beginning with an alcohol swab and followed by repeated applications of a chlorhexidine-alcohol antiseptic solution, which was also used to treat the non-sterile gloves themselves before the surgeon touched the patient. 

Rather than rely on subjective accounts of infection, the researchers adopted a conservative definition: any antibiotic prescription written within 30 days of the procedure, verified independently by two members of the team through the clinics’ electronic medical records. They also examined whether infection risk varied according to which physician performed the vasectomy, whether the wound was closed with surgical skin glue, and how much time had been allotted for the appointment. 

The authors went further still, subjecting their own findings to scrutiny beyond that of a typical retrospective chart review. They tracked patient phone calls and messages concerning post-vasectomy concerns over two separate periods, examined which patients returned in person and for what reason, and telephoned a random sample of patients with no infection on record to ask, directly, whether they had sought care elsewhere. 

What the Researchers Found

Among the full cohort, the study identified only four cases of infection: a rate of 0.08 percent, with a 95 percent confidence interval of 0.03 to 0.2 percent. The researchers found no statistically significant difference in infection risk among physicians, between patients whose wounds were closed with skin glue and those whose wounds were not, or between shorter and longer appointment times. Even when the authors modeled a worst-case scenario for infections that might have gone unreported, the estimated risk remained well under 1 percent. 

That figure compares favorably with the infection rates commonly cited in vasectomy practice guidelines, which range from roughly 0.2 to 2 percent, and it aligns with the 2023 international multicenter study, which likewise found no significant difference in infection risk between vasectomies performed with and without sterile gloves in a large New Zealand cohort. 

Dr. Bercier sees the result as validation of the shift his clinics already made. “I believe these findings reinforce the evidence that sterile gloves are not necessary to maintain a very low infection rate during office-based vasectomy,” he said. “This has practical implications for providers, as using non-sterile gloves can make vasectomy more efficient to perform while reducing both costs and environmental waste.” 

What It Means for Patients

The study’s authors are careful to characterize their findings as observational rather than conclusive. The results suggest, though they do not prove outright, that meticulous antiseptic technique, an experienced surgical team, and a consistent no-scalpel approach may matter more to infection prevention than the sterility of the gloves themselves. The authors also noted a trend, not statistically significant, toward lower infection rates when skin glue was used to close the wound, and they called for further research into whether glue offers additional protection. 

For patients weighing the decision to undergo a vasectomy, the practical implication is a reassuring one. This substantial Canadian dataset adds to a consistent, multi-specialty body of evidence suggesting that non-sterile gloves, used within a careful clinical protocol, are not associated with a meaningfully elevated risk of infection. At the same time, the researchers were candid about the limits of a retrospective chart review, including the possibility that some infections treated outside their clinics went uncounted, and they concluded that multicenter, prospective studies remain warranted to confirm the findings across other clinical settings. 

For Dr. Bercier, the implications reach beyond any single clinic’s supply budget. “Simplifying the procedure without compromising patient safety may make it easier for more healthcare providers to offer vasectomy,” he said, “and help improve access to what I consider the best permanent method of contraception.” 

Read the Full Study

The complete study, including full methodology, statistical analysis, and patient data tables, is available from the Canadian Urological Association Journal: Risk of post-vasectomy infection using non-sterile gloves: A retrospective audit of 4785 office-based procedures (CUAJ, published online July 7, 2026). 

Dr. Bercier and his colleagues continue to pursue and publish research that shapes how vasectomy is practiced across Canada. Patients interested in learning more about no-scalpel vasectomy, or in arranging a consultation at Bercier Clinic, are welcome to contact the clinic directly. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How did the researchers define an infection for this study?

Rather than relying on subjective reports, the team defined infection as any antibiotic prescription written within 30 days of the procedure. Two investigators independently cross-referenced electronic medical records to identify these cases, then verified certainty of infection using documented signs, symptoms, and timing. 

Why did Dr. Bercier’s clinics switch to non-sterile gloves for vasectomy?

Growing evidence from systematic reviews in minor surgery, dermatology, and wound repair suggested non-sterile gloves do not raise infection risk compared with sterile ones. Based on this evidence, Dr. Bercier’s clinical network adopted non-sterile gloves for no-scalpel vasectomy in January 2024 and later audited the results. 

How did researchers confirm their vasectomy infection data was accurate?

To guard against undercounting, the team cross-checked electronic records against patient outreach, then modeled a worst-case scenario for infections that might have gone unreported. Even under that conservative assumption, the estimated infection risk stayed well under 1 percent, reinforcing confidence in the primary result. 

Is a no-scalpel vasectomy performed with non-sterile gloves considered safe?

The study’s results, along with prior research comparing sterile and non-sterile gloves in minor procedures, suggest non-sterile gloves are not associated with a meaningfully higher infection risk when paired with thorough antiseptic technique. The authors note that further prospective studies are still warranted to confirm these findings. 

What role might skin glue play in preventing vasectomy infection?

Researchers observed a trend toward lower infection rates when skin glue was used to close the wound, though the difference was not statistically significant. The study’s authors recommended further research to determine whether skin glue meaningfully reduces the risk of vasectomy infection.