Vasectomy

What is a Vasectomy?

A vasectomy is considered a permanent method of birth control performed on men. In today’s society, there are many different birth control options available, such as condoms, birth control pills, and contraceptive injections. However, most of these are options for females only and are not 100% effective. Additionally, all these options are only temporary solutions. Temporary birth control options are great if you are planning to have children in the future, but in this day and age, more and more people are after a more permanent solution. Many men are opting to undergo a vasectomy procedure as a lifetime insurance against accidental pregnancies.

Sperm are made in the male testes. From here, the sperm pass into the epididymis located behind each testicle, where they become mature. They then pass through two tubes called the vas deferens (one on each side of the scrotum) to the region of the prostate, where they combine with seminal fluid and are ejaculated through the urethra (the tube through which men urinate and ejaculate). Vasectomy is a simple procedure through which the flow of sperm is interrupted by dividing the two vas deferens, thus preventing the ejaculation of semen-containing sperm. A vasectomy does not change the way ejaculation happens but simply removes sperm from the semen mix.

The Vasectomy Procedure

There are two different methods of accessing and dividing the vas deferens. These are called the “no-scalpel vasectomy” and the “traditional vasectomy”. Both techniques take about 20 – 25 minutes. They involve a small incision under local anaesthetic high on the scrotum on each side (traditional vasectomy), or a midline opening under local anaesthetic (the no-scalpel vasectomy): with each technique the ends of the vas deferens are sealed. A short dissolving stitch is used with the traditional method, though not with the no-scalpel technique. No adherent tape or dressing (other than gauze squares) is applied. The procedure may be conducted under mild sedation depending on patient and doctor preference. Most men find the procedure day far less challenging than they may have expected, and this is aided by good preparation and good self-care follow-up.