{"id":4985,"date":"2019-03-14T09:02:10","date_gmt":"2019-03-14T09:02:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/?p=4985"},"modified":"2021-05-28T17:22:19","modified_gmt":"2021-05-28T17:22:19","slug":"vasectomy-10-things-men-and-women-should-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/vasectomy-10-things-men-and-women-should-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Vasectomy: 14 Things Men and Women Should Know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A vasectomy is a common surgical procedure whereby the vas deferens \u2013 the tubes that carry sperm to the semen \u2013 are cut and tied to prevent fertility. It\u2019s especially common in older men who have already had children, but there\u2019s an increasing movement of younger men undergoing the procedure after making a decision that they don\u2019t want to have kids and don\u2019t want to take any risks when it comes to what contraception they and their partners are using.
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There are plenty of things that people don\u2019t tell you about a vasectomy before you (or your partner) are about to undergo one; yet these are still very important things that you should know if you want to be better prepared for the surgery, the recovery and managing your life after the surgery has been completed.
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Here are the 8 essential things that men and women should know about undergoing a vasectomy.
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1. Some procedures are reversible, while others aren\u2019t.<\/strong>
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Certain types of vasectomies <\/a>are considered to be reversible through a simple follow-up surgery, while the second type of vasectomy surgery is considered to be a permanent one that can\u2019t be reversed. This is done because of the fact that some men might not require the use of vasectomy as a permanent solution, and want to leave an open-ended option if they were to ever decide they want children during their lifetime.
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The irreversible procedure is usually done for older men, or men with genetic factors that influence hereditary diseases.
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Ideally, you should discuss the different surgical options with your doctor before making an appointment for the actual surgery so that you can have a clearer idea of what you need for your future. Irreversible vasectomies are just this, and you can\u2019t change your mind about it a few years down the line if you decide you want children.
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2. Vasectomies only protect against pregnancy.<\/strong>
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Vasectomies are one of the most effective ways to protect against pregnancy<\/a>, especially when you compare it to other forms of birth control; for example, even the use of condoms to prevent pregnancy aren\u2019t completely effective, and condoms can still malfunction and fail in as much as 1% of total cases. This is why condoms are usually used in conjunction with other forms of birth control to ensure their effectiveness.
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You should remember that vasectomies are only effective in protecting against pregnancy, and although they might be one of the most effective ways to do this, they aren\u2019t effective at all when it comes to preventing sexually transmitted diseases \u2013 and for this, the use of condoms combined with a vasectomy is preferable.
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Also remember that it\u2019s important to have your sperm function tested both before and after the procedure, especially after, and that\u2019s only to make sure that it worked.
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3. Book a lift through to the hospital and back.<\/strong>
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There are many people who make an appointment for their surgery<\/a>, show up on the day and realize that they have nobody to drive them back home when the surgery has been completed; it\u2019s not recommended that you drive yourself directly after surgery, especially because you were under sedation and might still be under slight influence of this for a few hours afterward \u2013 and due to the pain experienced after surgery, the vibration of the road for a long drive isn\u2019t great for your health.
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Make these arrangements ahead of time, and arrange for transportation back home from the hospital way ahead of booking your surgery so that you don\u2019t have to worry about it when you\u2019ve just woken up and you\u2019re still in a considerable amount of pain.
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While it sounds obvious, it\u2019s one of the most common things that people forget to do when going for a vasectomy.
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4. Wear the right underwear during recovery.<\/strong>
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While the actual procedure is generally a quick one and in most cases, you\u2019ll be home within just a few hours of the surgery having been done, the recovery phase after the procedure can take a few weeks \u2013 and you might experience some considerable discomfort, minor bleeding, and moderate pain during the recovery phase. Many men who have undergone the procedure describe the pain as feeling like a constant pulling sensation in the testicles \u2013 and it can cause a lot of pain during this time.
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Wear the right underwear during recovery and you can greatly reduce the amount of discomfort that you\u2019re in after surgery; choose tighter-fitting underwear that keeps the testicles <\/a>up rather than wearing anything that makes them hang \u2013 and therefore, pull.
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Comfort matters, especially when we\u2019re talking about healing after a vasectomy \u2013 and it\u2019s about more than just being comfortable, it\u2019s about health and proper recovery.
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5. Change your underwear type.<\/strong>
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One of the first consequences of having a vasectomy is the fact that your testicles will hang down lower than you are used to; this is a permanent consequence of the surgery for many people, and while it\u2019s not much of a difference, it can sometimes be uncomfortable if you\u2019re used to wearing boxers or no underwear at all.
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If you\u2019ve undergone a vasectomy and you want to remain as comfortable afterward, change your underwear type overall to something that holds the testicles up and a little closer to the body \u2013 this can avoid the feeling of the testicles getting in the way, and it can greatly reduce the number of times you get hit in places that you\u2019re not supposed to while you\u2019re still getting used to it.
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This change of underwear is a given for comfort after a vasectomy<\/a>, and it\u2019s something experienced by pretty much almost everyone.
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6. You\u2019ll use a lot of ice.<\/strong>
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If you\u2019re preparing to undergo a vasectomy, then you should prepare for the procedure ahead of time and make sure that you get things like a ride home and the type of underwear you\u2019ll have to wear after surgery before you book the surgery itself; it saves you time, and nobody is in the mood to have to fuss over the details after they\u2019ve just been through surgery \u2013 so take the time to plan for this.
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One of the things that you should plan for ahead of time is making sure you have enough ice for after surgery; don\u2019t try to put up a brave face, just accept the fact that it\u2019s going to hurt and prepare. Ice can help you to reduce the pain and swelling <\/a>that comes associated with experiencing such a drastic surgery, and you\u2019ll plainly want to keep a lot of it on hand for after.
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7. Bruising and pain are normal.<\/strong>
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Bruising <\/a>and pain are the first two things that you\u2019re going to experience after you\u2019ve been through a vasectomy, and you should ignore anything that everyone tries to tell you about the amount of pain that you\u2019re likely to experience; pain is different for everyone, and you might experience more or less pain than everyone else \u2013 and having something as sensitive as the testicles operated on can be pretty painful no matter how you look at it.
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Prepare for bruising and pain after the operation, and make sure that you have enough ice and painkillers to get you through the recovery stage; remember that you don\u2019t want to over-exert yourself after a surgery like this, either. Bed rest is recommended during at least the first few days of the recovery phase \u2013 and once you\u2019ve had the surgery, you\u2019ll notice that they really do mean bed rest when they say this.
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8. Sit down on a pillow.<\/strong>
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One of the first things that you should get other than underwear and ice if you\u2019ve booked your vasectomy will be a pillow; it doesn\u2019t matter if it\u2019s a soft and comfortable pillow or one of those inflatable donuts: You\u2019re going to need a pillow to sit on for the recovery stage of the surgery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you think that you somehow don\u2019t, you\u2019ll quickly change your mind within a few minutes after waking up from surgery \u2013 sitting down without one can be extremely uncomfortable and very painful, and you\u2019ll want to try to avoid even accidentally placing any pressure on already-bruised testicles after the surgery.
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You might want to ask someone to bring your pillow along to the surgery room so that it\u2019s readily available from the moment you wake up; remember that the painkillers <\/a>will start to wear off within a few hours of waking up, so prepare adequately. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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9. Vasectomies Are Not 100% Effective<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

That is to say, that just because you have had a vasectomy, that doesn\u2019t mean that you\u2019re definitely going to be sterile and that you can definitely begin enjoying unprotected sex without the worry! In fact, out of every 2,000 men to get the treatment, one will normally find that the procedure does not work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some cases, the surgeon <\/a>may be able to tell you that the procedure was not effective \u2013 perhaps due to complications during the procedure. But in other cases, you might leave the surgeon\u2019s table believing that you have had a successful procedure, only to later find that your partner becomes pregnant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this reason, most physicians will actually recommend that you continue to use contraception such as condoms even after you have had the treatment. That will be enough to put many people off \u2013 as it somewhat undermines the reason for having the operation in the first place! Of course, with such low odds, many people will simply opt to ignore this advice.
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10. It Does Not Take Immediate Effect<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another way that you might find yourself getting pregnant even after having had the operation, is if you have intercourse too soon after you have had the operation. The reason for this is that you may still have sperm living inside of the urethra. This, therefore, means that although you might not be releasing any new sperm<\/a>, the sperm that is still in there could be enough to cause a pregnancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Generally, the advice is that you will still be at risk until you have ejaculated 4-5 times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this reason, it is important to use condoms at least during the immediate aftermath of the operation.
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11. It is Linked With Prostate Cancer<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Something that may be a deterrent for some people is the fact that the procedure has been linked with prostate cancer. In a study by the Health professionals at Harvard School of Public Health, it was found that those who had had the procedure were 150% more likely to develop the condition later in life. This study used a sample of 50,000 men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While this might be alarming to read, it is always important to put these kinds of findings in context. One and a half times more likely is actually still a very low risk when you consider the stats surrounding prostate cancer<\/a>. What\u2019s more, is that this finding only shows a correlation: not causality. This means that there is the chance that the problem is actually caused by a third outside factor (called a confounding variable). For instance: perhaps those who have these kinds of operations are more likely to engage in other behaviors that increase the risk of cancer?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With all that said, the correlation demonstrated does <\/em>present cause for concern, and so you should definitely consider this fact too when deciding whether it is right for you.
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12. It Can Save You a Lot of Money<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While we have seen some arguments against getting a vasectomy \u2013 it can raise your chances of cancer <\/a>and may not necessarily prevent you from getting pregnant \u2013 it is also important to consider the considerable benefits and the reasons that many people still go ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, it is important to realize that this is often financially a good investment. While the cost of the vasectomy itself might be relatively high, the fact is that it can subsequently prevent you from needing to spend money on other forms of contraception. Over the course of years, this can potentially add up to huge savings, thereby helping you to save vast sums of money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For these reasons, many people will use a vasectomy as primarily a financial decision!
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13. The Alternatives Are Imperfect<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another reason that you may wish to get a vasectomy in light of the issues, is that the alternatives are also imperfect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many people will consider the female contraceptive pill to be a safer option owing to the fact that its use is more widespread. This is a common medication <\/a>and you likely have many friends who use it: so it can\u2019t be unsafe?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, oral contraceptives can also raise cancer risk, as well as bringing on many other symptoms such as acne, weight gain, depression, and many more. In fact, it is not advised that women use oral contraceptives for more than a few years in a row. The reason for this is that it can drastically alter levels of the female sex hormones, which have huge knock-on effects across the body.
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14. It Might be Painful for Up to a Year <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you get a vasectomy, it\u2019s important to realize that it could continue to feel pain for up to a year after you have the procedure. While the pain certainly is not unbearable, it\u2019s nevertheless a source of discomfort <\/a>and can be particularly unpleasant if you are likely to spend a lot of time sitting, or if you have other complications. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many different factors to consider then, and it is very important that you think about vasectomy from every angle before going ahead.
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