Vasectomy Clinic

You can eat and drink as normal on the day of the procedure. Please do not fast as this may make you feel faint. It is advised that you do not drink alcohol for 24 hours before the procedure as this can increase bleeding.

If you have the procedure immediately after your consultation, you will be then asked to lie down on the medical couch and the nurse who assists Dr Aggarwal will come into the room.

A local anaesthetic is used for the procedure and it causes some discomfort when injected into the scrotum (the skin around your testicles) to numb the area. The needle prick is like a “bee sting”. You will need two injections of local anaesthetic, one on each side.

Once this has worked, your skin will be numb and you will not feel anything sharp or painful; you will still feel sensations of touch, hot and cold

The surgeon then makes a tiny puncture hole in the skin of your scrotum to reach the tubes. This means there is no need to cut the skin with a scalpel. The tubes are then blocked with heat.

When the surgeon picks up each tube in turn, you may get a little discomfort; this can make you feel light-headed, sweaty and slightly sick but these feelings subside very quickly.

There's little bleeding and no stitches with this procedure. It's thought to be less painful and less likely to cause complications than a conventional vasectomy.

You will need to sit in the waiting room for at least 20-minutes after the procedure and tell the receptionist when you are leaving the clinic.

We advise that you do not drive home after the procedure. You will need to arrange for someone to take you home.

We also advise you wear tight underpants on the day as the extra support will help with healing.

Nearly all patients have mild bruising & scrotal swelling with slight clear yellow fluid from the wound for few days

1 in 50 patients will have Syncope - This is a short temporary episode of low blood pressure, which can cause dizziness, feeling hot or cold, nausea, pale skin, "tunnel-like" vision, disturbance of hearing and profuse sweating. This can also lead to fainting, but the recovery is rapid and spontaneous. This would happen quite soon after procedure, so we recommend staying at the clinic for 20-minutes before going home.

Between 1 in 10 patients will have blood in semen the first few times of ejaculating.

1-2% of patients have chronic testicular pain or significant bruising, swelling and haematoma (collection of blood) due to bleeding.

0.2-1.5% of patients have Infection or inflammation of the testicle.

Under 1% or patients have early failure of vasectomy (up to 12 weeks post-surgery).

0.05% of patients have late failure of vasectomy (re-joining of the ends of the tubes after initial negative sperm counts).

When you get home, take a pain killer that you would normally take for a headache like paracetamol. Please follow the recommended dose on the container. Ibuprofen is appropriate unless you have problems with this medication. DO NOT take Aspirin.

You may be aware of some bruising of the scrotal skin, discomfort & swelling of the testes but this will settle over the next week. If the discomfort is not relieved by paracetamol or if the pain is severe, please contact our clinic or call 111 for out of hours or the weekend.

Rest for 24 hours after your operation – no long standing or walking. You may then mobilise gently.

We recommend that tight supportive underpants be worn day and night for at least one week after surgery.

Please do not drive for at least 24 hours. Only drive once you feel confident and able to do an emergency brake.

We advise that you take time off work for at least 3 days after surgery. If you have a physical job, you may need to take a week off work.

Bathing / showering
Keep the wound dry for 48 hours (after which you can have a quick shower). Do not take a bath or swim for a week after the operation.

Wound care
After your operation you will have one small wound on the scrotum. Do not use any spray or talcum powder near the wound for a weekor until healed.
Change the dressing after 24 hours. If you notice any smelly, creamy discharge from the wound, please contact  clinic or call 111 service during out of hours.

Stitches
Stitches are not normally used. If you did require a stitch, these are usually dissolvable, and therefore will not need removing.

Eating and drinking
You may eat and drink as normal after surgery. However, please avoid alcohol for 24 hours as it can increase your risk of bleeding.

Exercise
You are advised to avoid heavy lifting and strenuous exercises for the next week or until you feel comfortable. Please do not cycle or swim for 2 weeks post-surgery.

Resuming sexual activity
Avoid sexual intercourse/ejaculation for one week and then until you feel comfortable. You might notice streaking of blood in semen when you first ejaculate after the operation, do not worry as this will soon clear.

It’s possible to have a vasectomy reversed, but the procedure isn’t always successful, and it is rarely funded by the NHS. You have a better chance of success if it is done soon after the vasectomy.

Even if a surgeon manages to join up the tubes again, pregnancy may still not be possible, so you should be certain before going ahead with the vasectomy.

After the vasectomy, a semen specimen will be required a minimum of 16 weeks after the procedure (do this later if you have had less than 24 ejaculates).

A collection kit given to you at the appointment will be used for your semen sample. You will need to read the instructions fully and arrange a drop off appointment for your sample at Poole Hospital. Please note that you need to be able to get to the hospital within 50 minutes of producing your semen sample. If you live further than 50 minutes away, then you can book the use of a room at Poole hospital where you can produce the sample on site. You need to book this room in advance, so please request this when you ring to make your appointment. Details will be given to you at your vasectomy appointment.

After the test analysis, if the first specimen does not show any motile sperm, you can stop using contraception. If there are a certin amount of motile sperm in the first specimen, you will need a second specimen. The sperm analysis is all included in the cost of the vasectomy.

The results of the test will be emailed to you within 2 weeks.

You should continue your usual method of contraception until given the all clear by Dr Sumit Aggarwal.