Vasectomy is a minor surgical procedure for a man that serves as a birth control. It is an operation that causes permanent sterilization. The procedure is done by cutting and closing of the vas deferens tubes. About 500, 000 men in the United States undergo vasectomies annually.
A vasectomy is less invasive than female sterilization, tubal ligation, and easier reversed. Vasectomy, free of knowing long term effects, is thought to be considered the safest and most effective method of permanent male sterilization. Vasectomies have been around since the late 19 th century. The first published study was done in London in 1830. It was first used as a method of controlling unwanted sections of society. These sections included delinquents, denigrates, drug habitu ” es and idiots.
This procedure first started to be regularly performed for the purpose of family planning in the U. S. in the 1940’s. It wasn’t until late 1960’s that it became common. The popularity of this procedure varies from country to country. New Zealand is the leading country with 23% of men and China and India have the lowest rate with 7-9%.
It was found in a recent U. S. national survey that 12% of married men between 20-39 have had a vasectomy and of this 12% nearly a quarter falls in the 35-39 age group. About 50 million men have had a vasectomy worldwide.
In order to understand a vasectomy, one should know about the male reproduction system and how it works. The structures of the testes produce sperm cells, and have testosterone producing organs. The testes are located at the base of the penis in a sac. The sperm is stored in the epididymis, which is a tube in each testicle. They are stored there for about six weeks while they are maturing. The sperm transports their selves through the vas deferens, to the prostate gland.
This is where the sperm joins seminal fluid from the prostate, semen, and are exited through the urethra. After a vasectomy one will still ejaculate but it doesn’t contain any sperm, since sperm only consists of 2-5% of semen. After a vasectomy the sperm are dissolved and absorbed into the body. Sperm is just like any other dead or unused cells that are in the human body. Fifty percent of men that had vasectomies develop antibodies to sperm. These antibodies will not affect your health but they reduce the chance of fertility if the procedure is reversed.
Vasectomy is routinely performed with a local anesthetic as a day case, with no need for an overnight stay in a hospital. A general anesthetic, which puts the person to sleep, may be given but is very uncommon. There is no need for the man to go without food and drink if a local anesthetic is used. Before coming to the hospital, men are asked to take a bath or shower at home and bring tight fitting underwear to wear after the surgery which will support the testicles and reduce swelling. Before the operation, part of the scrotum may need to be shaved to prevent hairs from getting caught in the wound.
Some men prefer to do this at home themselves before coming to the hospital. The first step in the traditional procedure is the local anesthetic injections, given into the skin on both sides of the scrotum. It may sting at first, but the area will quickly go numb. The surgeon then will feel the testicles to find the vas deferens, and then make tiny cuts in both sides of the scrotum in some cases; however, it is possible for the surgeon to work through one central incision. Some surgeons also use a “no scalpel” technique in which a small home rather than incision is made. Compared to the traditional technique, this method usually takes less time and causes less discomfort.
A section of the vas deferens is carefully pulled out through the incision which is then cut and has a small section removed. Then the ends of the tubes are sealed off and placed back into the scrotum. An alternative to vasectomy that does not involve cutting or cauterizing of the vas deferens is the Vasclip. This is a small plastic device which is damped around the vas deferens to prevent sperm from entering the semen. The vasclip may result in a shorter recovery time and fewer complications. As the local anesthetic wears off the scrotum may feel sore so usually a painkiller such as a paracetamol or ibuprofen is provided to help relieve any discomfort.
Bruising may also occur, especially if the surgeon had difficulty finding both of the vas deferens. The wounds should heal fairly quickly, however, if there is an increase in swelling or if either of the wounds becomes red or hot, the man should contact the hospital immediately because this indicates that there might be an infection. After the operation, the man should rest for the day and take a few days off from work if their job requires strenuous labor or exercise. Heavy lifting or any other vigorous exercise can put a strain on the healing wounds.
Wearing tight fitting underwear day and night for a week after the operation will help to ease discomfort and prevent swelling. It is fine to take a bath or shower as normal, but the area should be dried gently and thoroughly. The dissolvable stitches will disappear on there own after about a week and adhesive strips can be peeled off after 7 to 10 days. The side effects are of the unwanted kind but are usually mild and temporary effects of a successful procedure. In addition to side effects, there is a rare possibility the man will experience more specific complications or after the operation. The main possible complications of any surgery are excessive bleeding during or very soon after the operation and infection.
In these cases, the man may be required to receive further treatment such as returning to the hospital to stop bleeding or take antibiotics to treat an infection. In more rare cases, bleeding can occur inside the scrotum causing it to swell and become painful which is called a haematoma. It is also possible for sperm to leak out of the cut tubes and collect in the surrounding tissues. If this happens hard lumps, called sperm granulomas can form and be very painful. Very occasionally, the cut tubes become inflamed and cause a dull pain in the testicles that can last for several months.
A small proportion of men experience pain for longer which may be due to pinched nerves or scarring which may require more surgery. In the rarest cases, even after a correctly performed surgery there is a very small risk that the tubes can rejoin naturally and the man will become fertile again. Some research even suggests that vasectomy increases the risk of developing kidney stones. The chance of problems depends on the exact type of operation and other factors such as the man’s general health and the surgeon will be able to explain how the risks apply in each individual case. A vasectomy does not affect a man’s sex drive or ability to enjoy sex. He will still have erections and produce almost the same amount of fluid when he ejaculates.
The only difference is that the fluid will not contain sperm. The body will still produce sperm but they are unable to travel to the penis and are naturally reabsorbed. Vasectomy is not immediately effective, however sperm remains in the system beyond the blocked tubes and another form of birth control must be used until the sperm are gone. It usually takes about 15-20 ejaculations.
A routine semen analysis will show when there is no more sperm in the seminal fluid. If a man chooses to have a vasectomy it is important for him to be absolutely sure he will never change his mind or regret his choices no matter how his life may change. He should definitely not consider having a vasectomy if he wants to have a child in the future. He must truly want the operation and should not be pressured by his partner, friends, or family. A man must also consider changes in his life such as divorce, remarriage, or death of children.
The main reason a man does choose vasectomy also because they want to enjoy having sex without the risk of pregnancy and find other methods of contraception unacceptable. Another reason may be that their partner’s health would be threatened by a future pregnancy and you want to spare her the surgery and expense of tubal sterilization. Some men also choose vasectomy because they don’t want to pass on a hereditary illness or disability. In most cases it is possible to restore the flow of sperm to the vas deferens. The method is called vaso vasectomy which is a microsurgical procedure that reattaches the inside and outside of the vas deferens. Sometimes, there is inflammation or scarring from the original surgery that blocks the epididymis.
It prevents a successful vasovastomy causing a vasoepididymostomy surgery to be done. During this surgery the blockage is bypassed by connecting the vas deferens directly to the epididymis in a new location. This procedure costs from $1, 600 to $5, 000 and has no guarantees. Success is uncertain and is estimated that 16 to 79% of men reversed are able to reproduce. The factors for this wide range are due to the length of time since it was performed, if antibodies have developed, the age of the partners, the method, and the length and location of segment of the vas deferens was removed or blocked.
There are two other ways a male can reproduce after a vasectomy. The first has to be done prior to the original vasectomy, sperm freezing. This method is expensive to store and use, it also deteriorates over time. The other way is needle aspiration, a procedure in which a needle is inserted directly into the testes and sperm is collected via syringe. The sperm can now be used with any of the insemination techniques. Vasectomies costs range is anywhere from $240 to $1, 000 for an interview, counseling, examination, operation, and follow up sperm count.
This price is reasonable compared to tubal ligation’s, which costs up to four times as much. Blue Cross and Blue Shield and some private health insurance policies may pay some or most of the cost of it. Medical pays for the surgery in about 35 states but holds guidelines. Since every insurance varies the best way to determine a price would to be to check with your own insurance company. When performing a vasectomy a consent from your partner is never required. In a standard paying vasectomy the only requirements may be that the doctors will require a waiting period to allow more time for thought before the operation.
If the person that undergoes this surgery is federally funded they must pass certain special requirements. These include; being at least 21 years of age, observing a 30 day waiting period after signing consent, and free of the influence of alcohol and drugs at the time of the consent. As a whole, with any insurance, vasectomies are an easy process. Vasectomies are thought to be the safest and most reliable method of permanent male sterilization.