If the prospect of having the talk about vasectomy with your partner or husband affects your blood pressure, you’re not alone. If you have never even broached the subject before, I want to give you some tips to make it as pain free as possible. I, Jonathan Clavell, am a urologist focused on Sexual Health and I had a vasectomy performed. I know how everything goes from the doctor and patient perspective. I remember having “the talk” with my wife, although for us it was simple: It was my turn to “take one for the team”. Today I will share what was my experience as a patient with the hope of providing some insight for men out there contemplating the procedure and for partners on how to talk to their partners about getting a vasectomy.
Dear Men…
I am sure that some of you are probably wondering if I decided to perform the procedure on myself. The answer is…no (mostly because my wife did not want to assist me). I had a urologist friend do it for me. My procedure was on a Friday. I had a full clinic with almost 30 patients (of which 4 were vasectomy procedures). Interestingly, my last patient was a vasectomy and, fortunately, he did great. I then headed to the urologist’s office and “off to the races”.
I laid on the procedure bed, undressed from the waist down, got prepped and had the procedure done in less than 15 minutes. A very common question I get is:
What Should I Expect During The Procedure?
As a doctor, I have seen it all: from guys almost falling asleep, to guys extremely anxious and about to faint. However, most men tolerate the procedure very well without the need of sedation. We are talking about cutting a very small tube in the scrotum, and therefore, there is no need for any big incisions. Most of us perform the procedure via a ‘non-scalpel technique’ which involves one or two tiny little holes in the skin that generally do not require a suture to close.
As a patient, I felt a needle stick (from the anesthesia needle) in the skin and some burning (from the anesthesia medication). Then I felt like someone ‘flicked’ my testicle with a finger. Not a punch, but a flick that lasted less than 3 seconds. After this, I felt like they were touching me down there, but I felt ZERO pain. To be honest, I mostly remember just chatting with my friend about family, life, and urology. I will be honest, the entire time I was thinking “ok, when will I feel the nasty kick in my testicle?”. Surprisingly, and fortunately for me, that “painful kick” never happened. The procedure was done in about 15 minutes. They provided me with an ice pack that I was able to get in my underwear and I went home (drove myself since no sedation was involved).
What Should I Expect AFTER The Procedure?
I drove myself home that day. I knew the anesthesia typically wears off after 1-2 hours. Therefore, I decided to take one Tylenol tablet of 500mg just in case I would be in pain.
What Did You Feel After The Procedure?
Honestly, on a scale from 1 to 10, my pain was about a 2. It felt like someone had kicked me in the testicles 30 minutes ago. No real PAIN, just discomfort in my lower abdomen. I did ice “my boys” for a full 24 hours, and being honest, ice felt AMAZING down there. I took a Ziploc sandwich bag, half-filled it with crushed ice, wrapped the bag with a paper towel, and stuck it in my underwear. It took care of all of my pain. I did not take a single medication besides that first Tylenol. I did feel like my testicles were the size of a grapefruit, but I looked down there and everything looked normal.
When Can You Resume Activities?
As a doctor, we recommend that you take 1-2 days off to rest. If you have a sedentary job, you can go back to work the following day. If your job requires strenuous activity, we recommend that you take 3 to 7 days off. Even if you feel great, do go and play sports, we do not want you to have any complications. We recommend holding off from sex or any sports for 1 week.
As a patient, I went back to work the following Monday. I was able to carry on with my regular clinic day without any setbacks. The following 2 days I had surgeries and had no problems doing these. The discomfort got better every day and by a week, I was able to go to the gym and lift weights without any discomfort. I resumed sexual activity 1 week after the procedure and I remember being extremely anxious thinking I would have pain with my first ejaculation. To my surprise, everything felt the same and looked the same.
When Do You Get Yourself Tested?
As a doctor, we recommend waiting 8 to 12 weeks. That’s how long it takes for the sperm to clear out from the rest of the vas deferens. To understand how this works, the vas deferens is a tube that typically measures 30 to 45 cm (11 to 18 inches). It is like a bridge through which the sperm travel. When performing a vasectomy, we are cutting the beginning of the bridge (maybe 2-3cm from where it starts). Therefore, we need to allow the rest of the soldiers to “clear out” from the bridge.
As a patient, I waited the full 12 weeks. To avoid the awkward drive to a lab and getting the sample in a random bathroom, I purchased a post-vasectomy kit from my own clinic which was very simple to use at home. I was able to get the test into the specimen cup and delivered it to the company that provides the test. Less than a week later, I received the result directly on my email. This test is very convenient because the company will notify both the patient and the surgeon about the results. If the specimen still showed sperm in it, the company will deliver another kit, free of charge, to the patient to retest.
What Happens Long-Term?
As a patient, I remember feeling a lump in the area where the vasectomy happened for several months. When I showered, I got curious, and I could feel that the area was tender to the touch. If I did not touch, I had no pain. Therefore, I decided not to touch it. By 6 months, that tenderness went away. Now, 2 years later, I feel nothing abnormal.
The best part about this is that I feel confident that I will not get my wife pregnant. We do not have to worry about her cycle or ovulation period. Most importantly, I feel relieved that I was able to contribute to our family planning which allowed her to stay off any more invasive procedure or oral pills that carry the risk of messing up her hormones and overall health.
Dear Partners…
Let’s be honest, nobody wants to undergo any medical or surgical procedure. There’s a lot going on in that male mind, and he has probably heard a lot of misinformation about the procedure. His friends or buddies from work have probably exaggerated their experience to make it sound as if they “survived” the most bizarre procedure. This may cause fear in your partner. Therefore, allow your partner to express his fears and worries. Let him know you understand why he feels that way.
At the same time, give him some websites to look at with honest information and ask him to think about it. Give him your reasons for wanting him to get the vasectomy and try not to be overly accusatory by pointing out how much you do versus him.
Maybe you can set a date to continue the discussion down the road.
Get As Informed As You Can Be About Vasectomies
Do your own research or talk with us to learn what you can. The more you know, the more comfortable you can make your partner. It will help him understand you will be with him through the entire process.
Give Him The Good News
Time to banish all the myths surrounding vasectomy.
- A vasectomy does not impact sexual health or sex drive.
- It is performed in a urologist’s office under local anesthetic.
- Most men return to work the next day.
- A vasectomy does not impact any risk of prostate cancer.
- A vasectomy does not cause any pain that lasts longer than a few days.
- A vasectomy can be reversed.
- It is a lot less expensive and less invasive than female sterilization.
There are 500,000 happy men (myself included) walking around every year who have gotten a vasectomy. You could be one too.
Vasectomy Specialist in Houston, TX
Contact board-certified urologist Dr. Jonathan Clavell at (713) 424-4030 if you and your partner would like to schedule an appointment to discuss a vasectomy.
