The male vasectomy represents the only form of permanent contraception available to men. Around one in five males of a reproductive age in the United Kingdom has had a vasectomy. The minor surgical procedure works by sealing the internal tubes which transport sperm from the testes to the ejaculatory fluid or semen within the penis. Any ejaculate coming into contact with a sexual partner, should contain no sperm and therefore no risk of unplanned pregnancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The male vasectomy requires a minor operation involving local anaesthetic. The procedure begins with an injection of anaesthetic into the scrotum of the patient, who should be lying down during the procedure. A small incision is then made into the scrotum where the surgeon will then identify a thin tube called the vas. This tube carries sperm upwards towards the testicle and once identified, is cut with both open ends of the tube sealed off. This process is then repeated for the other testicle. The surgeon then seals the wounds using appropriate sealant or stitching. In some instances, rather than making any sort of incision, the doctor will make a puncture in the scrotum inserting a small instrument within. Once the patient has rested for a couple of hours, they should be free to go home. Doctors advise patients to wear athletic support for seven to ten days after the procedure to ease any discomfort. Warm baths are also recommended for soothing the area of surgery. Additionally, strenuous activity such as lifting is strongly advised against during the first month after surgery because of the inherent risk of damage to any stitching. However, patients are free and able to have sex immediately after the operation, though other forms of contraception are advised as much of the semen within the penis will still contain active sperm. Two to three months after the initial surgery, your doctor will conduct a semen test to analyze for any sperm. Provided this test shows no significant traces of sperm, the procedure can be confirmed as successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All men can opt to undergo the vasectomy procedure. However, based on the discretion of the doctor, certain groups may be advised against this method of contraception. Young males, some of whom may not have had children, will often be advised against the procedure due to the permanent nature of the surgery. Once completed, there is no going back and with many younger males, there is the danger that, with time they may change their ideas about conception and wish to start a family. Undergoing a vasectomy procedure takes away that choice early on. Furthermore, in cases where a patient demonstrates a fear of either castration or the surgical process itself, some doctors will advise against this method as, in these instances, such anxieties can lead to troubling psychological issues which affect their long term sexual health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The male vasectomy offers a level of effectiveness to patients over 99%. The relatively simple surgical procedure and high success rate make it a far easier and effective method of sterilization than the one available to women. It is conclusive long term method of contraception which requires no pills, condoms or other devices to be used or regularly adhered to. \u00a0Therefore, the vasectomy also carries none of the long term risks or dangers associated with other forms of birth control. The surgery itself does not hurt excessively and once completed should have little or no effect on a patients sex drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The procedure is a permanent one and while reversal is possible it is rarely available on the NHS meaning, it is expensive with the estimated price set at four and a half thousand pounds and not even always successful.\u00a0 In some instances, irregularities can occur, such as the condition known as \u201csperm granuloma\u201d whereby a painful lump of built up sperm can form in the scrotum. This occurs when the vas tubes are not fully sealed which allows sperm to leak into the scrotum, causing pain for the patient. This lump can be removed through surgery or using ant inflammatory pills, however, other patients have also recorded experiencing chronic testicular pain following surgery.\u00a0 Worse still, there have been rare occasions when patients have found the area of surgery bleeding and showing signs of swelling and infection. It is important to remember that the vasectomy procedure offers no protection from sexually transmitted infections like HIV and AIDs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The male vasectomy represents the only form of permanent contraception available to men. Around one in five males of a reproductive age in the United Kingdom has had a vasectomy. The minor surgical procedure works by sealing the internal tubes which transport sperm from the testes to the ejaculatory fluid or semen within the penis….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.caughtout.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/40"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.caughtout.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.caughtout.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.caughtout.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.caughtout.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.caughtout.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/40\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41,"href":"https:\/\/www.caughtout.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/40\/revisions\/41"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.caughtout.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}