What You Need to Know Before Considering a Vasectomy

Each year in the United States, more than 500,000 men get vasectomies, which deliver a 99.8% efficacy rate in preventing pregnancy. While a vasectomy is indisputably effective, the procedure is more aggressive than traditional birth control methods, and there are a few things you should know before you undergo a vasectomy.

At our practice, Dr. Robert Cornell is a leading vasectomy specialist and offers the cutting-edge no-scalpel vasectomy to minimize discomfort. To give you an idea of what to expect during and after this procedure, we’ve pulled together the following information for your consideration.

Is it painful?

One of the first questions patients ask is whether a vasectomy is painful. Our no-scalpel procedure is designed to minimize discomfort, as we only use one tiny entry point to block each of your vas deferens.

We ensure your comfort with a local anesthetic, so you shouldn’t feel a thing during the procedure other than some minor pressure or tugging. You may experience some mild soreness afterward for a few days, which is easily remedied with some cold packs.

As well, you’re free to return to normal activities such as work within a day or two, though we ask that you refrain from strenuous exercise for a week.

Good to go?

What many men may not know is that you can still impregnate a woman during the weeks and months after your vasectomy. When Dr. Cornell blocks each of your vas deferens, sperm may still be present on the wrong side of these tubes and show up in your semen. 

For this reason, you and your partner still need to practice some sort of birth control until we analyze your semen at 6 and 12 weeks after your vasectomy. Once we give you the “all clear,” you may rely solely on the vasectomy to prevent pregnancy.

A change of heart

A vasectomy should be considered a permanent procedure, so you should be sure of your decision to no longer have children. That said, we understand that life can change, so we do offer reversals of the procedure, but they’re much more complicated than the initial vasectomy.

It’s important to note that should you decide to have children after your vasectomy, a reversal isn’t your only avenue. You can also look into sperm extraction and in vitro fertilization.

Effects on your sex life

When you undergo a vasectomy, you shouldn’t encounter any problems with your sex life. You will still ejaculate as you normally would, but the semen will be devoid of sperm. The only effect that a vasectomy has on your sexual health is that we ask you to wait a week after your procedure before engaging in sex.

If you have more questions about a vasectomy, please contact our office in Houston, Texas, to set up a consultation.