Pandemic leads to dramatic drop in sterilisations and vasectomies on the NHS

Instruments laid out before a surgical procedure (Chris Ison/PA)

The pandemic led to a dramatic drop in the number of women being sterilised and men having vasectomies, new figures suggest.

Data from NHS Digital shows that the number of sterilisations performed in NHS hospitals in England has fallen from 15,189 in 2010/11 to 12,144 in 2019/20, a drop of 20%.