Vasectomies are losing their popularity, but a study from earlier this year may suggest a reason to reconsider this minimally invasive procedure as a method for birth control. The research from Germany found that men often have more sex, experience better erections and orgasms, and have generally higher sex drives following the procedure.

It’s not that surprising that vasectomies are one of the least popular of all birth control methods. Not only are they pretty permanent, but their colloquial phrase “the snip” brings to mind a procedure that is far more gruesome than the reality. In truth, not only are vasectomies reliable, they also have the unexpected side effect of boosting the sex life of some men.

In the study, published earlier this year in the Central European Journal of Urology, scientists in Germany interviewed 294 couples in which the male had recently undergone a vasectomy. The men and their partners were surveyed using the International Index for Erectile Function (IIEF) and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaires to gauge their sex lives and sex satisfaction following the procedure. Replies of 90 men and 74 women were included in the research.