What is a Vasectomy
A vasectomy is a sterilisation procedure performed on men to prevent them having any or more children. It is the safest and most effective method of birth control. It is more reliable and much cheaper than female sterilisation (tubal ligation) and can be performed under local anaesthetic with minimal discomfort.
It involves dividing the tubes (vas deferens) which carry sperm from the testicles to the penis.
At the Wellington Vasectomy Clinic we have performed several thousand vasectomies under local anaesthetic using the “no scalpel” technique. This is regarded as the gold standard technique, being the safest and most reliable method of vasectomy.
A vasectomy is simple, quick and painless. It will have no effect on your sex drive or performance.
As most of the semen is made up of fluid from the seminal glands and prostate, both of which are downstream from the operation site, orgasm and ejaculation are unaffected except that the semen will no longer contain sperm.
You should consider having a vasectomy if you are quite sure you don’t want any more children and you want permanent reliable contraception.
In making this decision, you should consider the stability of your present relationship and the ages of your children. Would you want to have more children if one of your children died or your present relationship ended? If in doubt, you should use a more readily reversible method of contraception (eg condoms, “the pill”, IUCD) as the cost of reversal is high with no guarantee of success.
Diagram showing a vasectomy
How is it performed?
A local anaesthetic injection is given into the scrotum below the penis, well away from the testicles. This works very quickly to completely numb the region. A small puncture wound is made in the skin of the scrotum, each tube is clamped in turn then a small segment removed. The cut ends of the tubes are cauterised to seal them then tied with small sutures to stop sperm escaping. The skin wound is so small it does not require suturing. It heals in a few days. The internal sutures dissolve over a few weeks. The operation normally takes only 20–30 minutes.
How will I feel afterwards?
Some bruising, swelling and mild discomfort is normal for the first few days. It is strongly advised to rest for 48 hours. Panadol is generally all that is required for pain relief. Most men return to work 2 or 3 days following the operation although strenuous exercise is best avoided for 7–10 days.
Does it hurt?
Most men are pleasantly surprised at how quick and painless the procedure is.
How will I know when I am safe?
Sperm counts should be done three months after vasectomy to check that the semen no longer contains sperm. It normally takes about 20 ejaculations to clear the sperm from the tubes but individuals vary.
Possible Complications:
- Bruising / bleeding. Some bruising & swelling in the scrotum is normal after the operation. A larger collection of blood called a haematoma occurs in perhaps 2—3% of cases. This normally resolves with rest.
- Infection. As with all surgical procedures there is a small risk of infection after the operation which may require antibiotics.
- Pain. Mild discomfort in the testicles and some-times the lower abdomen is common for the first few days after the operation.
Can it fail?
There is a very small risk of failure, less than 1 in 1000. This may be due to operative failure or very rarely through spontaneous reconnection of the sperm cords. This is detected when the sperm count is done.