What
is Vasectomy?
Vasectomy is a
procedure in which all or part of a male's
vas deferens is surgically
removed, therefore sterilizing the patient. Vasectomy should
not be confused with
castration since it does
not involve the removal of the testicles, and it affects
neither the production of male sex
hormones nor their
secretion into the
bloodstream.
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Effects
of Vasectomy
Undergoing a
vasectomy means that you can no longer have children.
Vasectomy is permanent and you do not have to bother with
contraception again. This procedure is easier to do and more
effective compared to female sterilization.
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Candidates
for Vasectomy
Vasectomy should be regarded as
a permanent form of
birth control. For couples
who have decided not to have anymore children, vasectomy is
the safest and easiest form of surgical sterilization.
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Your
Consultation
When the day of the operation
comes, it is suggested that you bring a jockstrap with you
and make sure that your genital area is clean. Your doctor
will likely provide you instructions on how to clean the
area before you come in. It is also recommended that you
bring someone to take you home after surgery.
Prior to surgery, your surgeon
will discuss with you the operation and you will be asked to
sign a consent form. This confirms that you accept the
risks, benefits and possible alternatives to the procedure
and have given your consent for it.
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The Vasectomy
Procedure
Vasectomy is a minor operation that is most often performed
at a doctor's office or clinic. You are awake during the
surgery and it takes about 30 minutes or less. First, the
hair is clipped from the scrotum. Then the doctor injects a
local anesthetic into the skin of your scrotum to numb it
and makes one or two small cuts in the skin of the scrotum
through which the tubes are gently lifted out. The doctor
cuts the tubes, and may remove a small piece of each. The
cut ends are tied or sealed with electric current. After
that, the openings in the scrotum are closed with small
stitches.
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Recovery
After the operation, you will probably feel sore for a
couple of days. It is recommended that you rest for at least
a day. A mild non-aspirin painkiller should help. Swelling
around the incision(s) may appear and the scrotal skin may
seem bruised. To help prevent these problems, your doctor
may recommend an athletic support, ice packs and rest from
hard work. Just about all men recoup
thoroughly in less than a week.
You
should also avoid heavy physical labor for at least 48 hours
after your vasectomy. If your job does not require such
labor, you can go back to work eventually.
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Risks
Every surgery contains some risk, but with vasectomy, the
chance of serious problems is minimal. Minor complications
like swelling and/or tenderness of the scrotum,
bruising, and pain will
normally go away within one to two weeks.
More important complications
are quite rare, but include an infection or swelling around
the incision(s) or inside your scrotum; bleeding under the
skin that might cause swelling or bruising; and sperm
granulomas, which are small lumps that form when sperm leak
from the vas into the surrounding tissue. The majority of
sperm granulomas are asymptomatic. In some cases, may
require surgical treatment.
While post-operative vasectomy pain usually subsides within
1 to 2 weeks, some men report chronic testicular pain or
discomfort after the surgery. Most cases of post-vasectomy
pain can be treated with non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs
such as ibuprofen, sitz baths, antibiotics, or spermatic
cord blocks (an injection that helps to ease the pain).
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Frequently Asked
Questions
Q: What is a vasectomy?
A:
A vasectomy is an operation
that makes a man permanently incapable of getting a woman
pregnant. It includes cutting the vas deferens on each side
so that sperm can no longer get into the semen.
Q: Will vasectomy work right
away?
A:
No. You will be required to ejaculate as many as 15 to 20
times before the sperm will be cleared from both the vas
deferens. As a result, you should keep using birth control.
You will be asked by your doctor to bring in samples of your
ejaculation after the operation. You will be considered free
of getting a woman pregnant only after you have two
sperm-free samples. This may take about 3 months or even
longer.
Q: What happens to the sperm?
A:
Sperm are still made as before in the testes but it cannot
get past the blocked vas deferens and are 'dissolved' into
the body.
Q: How effective is vasectomy
in preventing pregnancy?
A:
If you are contemplating on
taking birth control, vasectomy is considered the safest,
most effective kind. An average of only 15 out of 10,000
couples get pregnant the first year after a vasectomy.
Q: Will vasectomy affect my
masculinity?
A:
No, your body will still produce the hormones that make you
a man. There will be no change in your beard, your voice, or
any other of your male traits. Also, the operation will not
cause you to reduce strength.
Q:
How will vasectomy affect me
sexually?
A:
Possibly not at all. Your sexual drive will not change and
you will have the same erections and climaxes. A number of
men say that without the worry of accidental pregnancy and
the bother of other family planning methods, they and their
partners find sex more pleasurable and spontaneous. Every so
often, a man has sexual problems after the operation. Most
of the time, this is due to emotional reasons rather than
physical changes.
Q:
Can a vasectomy be reversed?
A:
Even with developments in surgical technique, you cannot
count on the successful
reversal of your vasectomy. The indication that
the average man aspiring reversal will be able to father a
child is much smaller than many published success rates
suggest. The reversal operation is more burdensome and far
more expensive than vasectomy. If you are seriously thinking
about reversal now, vasectomy may not be the right step for
you at this time.
Q: Can a vasectomy fail?
A:
Initially, it is essential to be sure that a vasectomy has
been successful and that there is no sperm present in the
ejaculate prior to stopping other forms of contraception.
Even though the vasectomy has been established to be
effective, there is a small chance that a vasectomy may
fail. This transpires as a result of sperm leaking from one
end of the cut
vas
deferens (the testicular end) and finding a
channel to the other end (the abdominal end). Because of
this, some urologists suggest having a repeat semen analysis
a year after having a vasectomy.
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