VASECTOMY
Why being is a Vasectomy performed ?
You will only be offered vasectomy if you are sure that you do not wish to father children again. This decision may be your personal preference. It may also be that your partner cannot use other methods of contraception for health reasons. Vasectomy remains the safest method of contraception. Only 1 in 3000 vasectomies fail. Vasectomy should be regarded as a permanent and irreversible procedure. It is technically possible to reverse a vasectomy. However, the procedure is complicated and is not always successful. Within 10 years of a vasectomy, the testicles usually undergo permanent changes. These cannot be corrected. This means that after this time, fertility is unlikely to be restored by any means. You should therefore consider vasectomy carefully. Consent of your female partner is not a legal obligation. Full information and counselling should be available to both you and your partner, and no man should undergo vasectomy without having this. General practitioners, family planning specialists and urologists should all be able to provide you with such counselling. Some people ask if sperm can be frozen and stored before vasectomy. In this way the sperm could be used at a later date by artificial insemination. However, this approach is not usually practical. Many specimens have to be stored to make this insurance worthwhile. Each time a specimen is frozen and then thawed-out the quality of the sperm is harmed. To make storage worthwhile the sperm must be of very good quality. Whenever a man requests sperm storage, there must clearly be some doubt about whether his wish for vasectomy is genuine. Preparations needed for a Vasectomy
There are no special preparations. It is helpful to shave the hairs from the testicle sac (scrotum). After counselling a consent form must be signed, usually on the day before operation. If having a general anaesthetic, you will be asked not to have anything to eat or drink for 6 hours before arrival at the hospital. Whether having a local or a general anaesthetic you should arrange to rest at home for a few days after the operation. You should not drive for 24 hours if you have had a general anaesthetic. Vasectomy should not be thought of as a "quick snip". Vasectomy is a proper operation with important consequences. What Happens during a Vasectomy
Some people prefer a general anaesthetic, although the operation is usually performed with local anaesthetic. Counselling time is a good opportunity for you to discuss this. Local anaesthetic is injected into the skin of the scrotum on each side. A cut of about 1 cm (half an inch) in length is made in the skin. The sperm-carrying tube (vas) is pulled through the cut. Two centimetres (1 inch) of vas tube is removed and the cut ends of the vas are tied with surgical thread. The small cut in the skin is closed with a stitch placed under the surface. This stitch will eventually dissolve. Possible Complications after a Vasectomy
There may be bleeding into the scrotum. This is an uncommon complication. The scrotum becomes twice the normal size and is painful. If it occurs, it will be in the first 6 to12 hours after the operation. If this happens, you should return to the hospital or contact your doctor. Some bruising of the skin is common and should not cause you to be alarmed. A little ooze of blood from the cuts is also common. If bleeding continues for more than 1 hour, it is wise to return to the hospital or contact your doctor. Some pain in the first 2 to 3 days is common. Severe or persistent pain may indicate a complication. Although it is rare, it is important to remember that the vasectomy may fail to work. Very occasionally the vas tubes rejoin of their own accord. As well as this, the storage tubes can hold sperm for 8 weeks or so after a vasectomy. You must therefore ensure that two sperm tests (usually performed at 8 and 10 weeks after the vasectomy) are negative. Until this has been shown to be the case, other contraceptive methods must be used. Afterwards
Some people think that they will not ejaculate after a vasectomy. This is not true. The same amount of fluid comes out, but it does not contain sperm. Sexual function and erection of the penis are not affected. Sexual intercourse can be resumed 7 days after the operation. However, as indicated earlier, other means of contraception must be used until the all-important repeat sperm tests have been shown to be negative. You might get persistent pain in the testicles for some months after vasectomy. We do not know why this happens. However, long-term pain is most uncommon. Vasectomy is a very common operation. It has been suggested that vasectomy may lead to the development of other medical conditions. At present there is no definite evidence that vasectomy causes any medical problems in later life. However, the decision to undergo vasectomy is serious and requires careful thought and commitment. |
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