Risks and Health Benefits of a Vasectomy
August 22, 2009
Vasectomy is a medical procedure in which an operation is conducted on the male’s ‘vas deferens’, which is Latin for carrying away vessel, which releases the sperm of males during the process of ejaculation. It is cut, clamped or sealed. Today, a vasectomy has become quite popular. To avoid an unwanted pregnancy in a family, a vasectomy is performed, thereby making it a permanent method of birth control.
A vasectomy usually takes about 20-30 minutes and can be conducted by a family medicine doctor, a urologist or even a general surgeon. There are a few types of a vasectomy. A typical traditional vasectomy is one where a local anesthesia is used on the scrotum. After this either one or two small incisions are made so that the surgeon can gain access to the vas deferens. The tubes are then cut, stitched or burnt. The No-Scalpel method is one in which a hemostat (arterial forceps used to control bleeding) are used to puncture the scrotum. The Vas-Clip method does not involve cutting of the vas deferens but simply uses a clip to squeeze shut the flow of sperm.
There are a number of side effects and risks after a vasectomy operation. If your main reason for a vasectomy is birth control, then it is advisable to use birth control methods for at least three months after the operation. This is because a male’s body does not stop producing sperm after an operation and there are still a few sperms in the testes and scrotum. After about 12 weeks it is advisable for a man to take a follow up test to check for production of sperm in the penis. A negative result says that the vasectomy was successful.
Pain is one of the biggest drawbacks after a vasectomy. For the first few days it is usually sore and swollen. Avoiding sports and sexual intercourse for a week after your vasectomy is a good idea. Milder risks involve fever, bleeding, infection and trouble urinating. It is said that a vasectomy brings about cancer and dementia. This is not true.
Benefits would include freedom from unwanted pregnancies. Usually it is more enjoyable to have sex when you are free from worrying about effects like pregnancy. Sex life improves and there are positive effects on married life. There is improved health of not only the male but also of his partner. Remember a vasectomy cannot be undone so think long and hard before you have a vasectomy.
A lot of my friends have gotten a vasectomy, but I decided against it.
So far, natural birth control methods have worked for my wife and I (Knock on wood!).
I’d rather take the risk, than have a surgery that may lead to side effects down the road.
Cheers!