MALE STERILISATION (VASECTOMY)
What happens when you have a vasectomy? Most doctors or centres that perform vasectomies will ask you to come in to see them first to talk about the procedure before you actually make a booking to have the vasectomy. The doctor will also examine you and make sure you are suitable to have a vasectomy with a local anaesthetic if that is what is planned.
The doctor will tell you what is going to happen during the operation, and answer any questions you may have. It’s important that you are clear about what vasectomy will mean for you,
and what to expect If you are in a relationship, it is good if your partner can come with you to this appointment as well, but it is not essential.
If you are able to have the operation, and you want to go ahead with it, you will sign a consent form and make a booking for the vasectomy at the end of this visit. You will be given instructions on how to prepare for the operation before you leave.
If you are having the operation at the doctor’s surgery or at a clinic you will probably be asked to shave the pubic hair around the base of your penis and your scrotum just before you go to the clinic to have the operation. If the surgery is planned under local anaesthetic you will be at the surgery or clinic for about one to two hours altogether. This includes preparation and recovery time as well as the operation itself which usually takes about 30 minutes. If the operation is to be done in hospital under general anaesthetic you should expect to be in hospital most of the day.
The operation is simple and straightforward. When the operation is done under local anaesthetic you will be given an injection into die scrotum and then into each vas. This may sting a little, but most men don’t mind it too much. Some doctors give a sedative as well. When the area is numb, the doctor makes a small opening on the midline of the scrotum, carefully picks up one vas at a time, cuts them and seals the ends. Some doctors make two little openings, one for each vas, and some doctors remove a small portion of each vas before sealing the ends. Remember the area is numb so although some men say they feel a sort of tugging feeling, it does not usually hurt. The opening in the scrotum is closed with a stitch or just with a small bandaid strip.
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