Vasectomy

Vasectomy will not affect your sex life. It does not decrease your sex drive because it doesn’t affect the production of testosterone. It also doesn’t affect your ability to get an erection or ejaculate semen.

We use a local anesthesia to numb the area so you will not feel any pain during the procedure.

While vasectomy is a very effective form of birth control, a vasectomy can be reversed. During a vasectomy reversal, the cut ends of each vas deferens are stitched back together. With the sperm pathways restored, sperm can once again travel through the vas deferens and leave the body during ejaculation. The procedure is done in an operating room and you can expect a very similar experience as with the vasectomy when it comes to the procedure and recovery. Vasectomy reversals are usually not covered by insurance.

As with any procedure, it’s important to understand what the possible complications may be. While rare, the most common complications include bleeding, development of a hematoma (localized bleeding outside of blood vessels) and infection of the scrotal incision site. 

Following vasectomy, a small fraction of men (one to two percent) experience chronic pain, also called post-vasectomy pain syndrome (PVPS). This is classified as a man having constant or intermittent testicular pain for greater than three months. This pain interferes with quality of life and requires some degree of medical treatment. Talk to your doctor if this occurs.

• Your scrotum will be bandaged.
• Once the numbness wears off, your scrotum may feel tender or uncomfortable.
• Bruising and swelling are also normal.
• You should be able to urinate without any issue, but you may feel some discomfort.
• You can go back to performing light activities after a few days.
• You may experience discomfort for up to a week as the tissue heals. Several weeks after your vasectomy, you will be asked to come back to the office to have your sperm count checked. It usually takes several weeks to ejaculate without sperm in your semen.

The procedure is performed in our urologists’ office. 

• You will be awake the entire time. 
• Your scrotum is shaved and cleaned.
• Then, the surgeon will inject a shot of numbing medicine into the area. 
• The urologist will make a small cut in the upper part of your scrotum.
• The vas deferens will then be tied off and cut. 
• The wound will be closed with stitches or surgical glue. 

You may have a vasectomy without a surgical cut. This is called a no-scalpel vasectomy (NSV). For this procedure:

• The procedure is performed in our urologists’ office 
• You will be awake the entire time. 
• The urologist will find the vas deferens by feeling your scrotum. 
• You will get numbing medicine. 
• The urologist will then make a tiny hole in the skin of your scrotum and bring the vas through to clip and cauterize each end.
• In a regular vasectomy, a small incision is made on each side of the scrotum. In a no-scalpel vasectomy, an instrument is used to pierce the skin and make a single opening. Since the opening is small, pressure dressing is applied and it often closes without stitches or glue.

Cost varies based on insurance coverage. As with any procedure, check with your insurance provider to find out if the vasectomy procedure is covered.