Vasectomy Procedure
A vasectomy is a urologic surgery in which the vas deferens from each testicle is clamped, cut, or otherwise sealed. This prevents sperm from mixing with the semen that is ejaculated from the penis. Although the testicles continue to produce sperm, but the sperm are reabsorbed by the body. Because the tubes are blocked before the seminal vesicles and prosate, you will still ejaculate about the same amount of semenal fluids. There is no major risk to urologic health from getting this surgery.
It usually takes several months after a vasectomy for all remaining sperm to be ejaclated or reabsorbed. You must use another method of birth control until you have a semen sample tested and it shows a zero sperm count. Otherwise, you may still get your partner pregnant.
During a vasectomy:
1) Your testicles and scrotum are cleaned with an antiseptic and may need to be shaved.
2) You may given an oral or intravenous medicine to reduce anxiety and make you sleepy. If you do take this medicine, you may not remember very much about the procedure.
3) Each vas deferens is located by touch.
4) A local anesthetic is injected into the area.
5) Your doctor makes one or two small openings in your scrotum. Through an opening, the two vas deferens tubes are cut. The two ends are either tied, stitched, or sealed. Electrocautery may be used to seal the ends using heat. Scar tissue helps block the tubes.
The procedure takes about 20 to 30 minutes and can be done in an office or clinic. It can be performed by a urologic surgeon, a general surgeon, or a primary care physician. However, it is recommended to see a urologic surgeon, simple because, generally, they will have had much more experience in performing a vasectomy
Another form of vasectomy is ‘no-scalpel vasectomy’ a urologic technique that uses a small clamp with pointed ends. Instead of using scalpel to cut the skin, the clamp is poked through the skin of the scrotum and then opened. The benefits of no-scapel vasectomy includes less bleeding, a smaller hole in the skin, and fewer urologic complications post-surgery. No-scalpel vasectomy is as effective as the traditional form.
Yet another form of vasectomy is the Vasclip implant procedure. In this procedure, the vas deferens is locked closed with a device called a Vasclip. The vas deferens is not cut, sutured, or cauterized in any way which reduces the potential for pain. However, some studie show that vas deferens clamping may not be as effective as more traditional methods.
A vasectomy is a very effective birth control method. Only 1 to 2 women out of 1,000 (99.85% effective) will have an unplanned pregnancy in the firs tyear after their partners have had a vasectomy. The thought of any kind of urological surgery may seem intimidating, but the risks are minimal. Complications from undergoing this urologic surgery may include bleeding under the skin, infection of the incision, rarely an infection will occur inside the scrotum, sperm leakage from the vas deferens into the tissue around it, and very rarely, the vas deferens will grow back together (recanalization) and the man becomes fertile again.