A vasectomy is a simple in-office procedure that permanently sterilizes men so that they can’t have any more children. Unlike vasectomies in the past, today’s vasectomies don’t require scalpels or stitches.
A no-scalpel vasectomy is fast, virtually pain-free, and doesn’t take long to recover from, either. Every year, about 500,000 men in the United States undergo vasectomy. Nevertheless, myths about vasectomies and their aftermath persist.
Alex Lesani, MD, is an experienced urologist who’s also an expert at the no-scalpel vasectomy. At our offices in Las Vegas, Nevada, he performs safe, fast, effective vasectomies so that you can control your reproductive future.
Have you heard opinions or fears about vasectomies? The following are some of the most common myths and the facts that dispel them.
Fact: First, we give you an anesthetic before your procedure so you won’t feel anything but pressure. Dr. Lesani doesn’t make incisions into your scrotum. Instead, with the no-scalpel approach, he simply makes a couple of small punctures.
He then inserts very small instruments into the punctures. He snips a portion off each vas deferens tube, then seals the severed ends. You don’t need stitches. You can even return to your normal day immediately (assuming you don’t engage in heavy manual labor or other strenuous activities).
Fact: Vasectomy is the simplest, easiest, safest way to sterilize one half of a couple. In other words, vasectomy is a lot less complicated and dangerous than tubal ligation, which is the procedure that women undergo to prevent their eggs from being fertilized.
If you’re part of a couple, you can spare your female partner a lot of pain and recovery if you take tubal ligation off the table. Getting a vasectomy may be one of the nicest things you could do for her.
If you’re a single man, you don’t have to worry about missing out on your life after a vasectomy. The entire procedure only takes about 30 minutes. You can go back to most non-strenuous activities almost immediately.
Fact: Sperm are persistent and may live in your vas deferens tubes and even your urethra for some time after your vasectomy. You won’t be “safe” from possible impregnation until Dr. Lesani determines that you have a sperm count of zero.
It takes about 20-30 ejaculations to ensure that all the sperm is out of your body. During your follow-up consultations, Dr. Lesani tests your ejaculate. He lets you know when your sperm count is zero.
In the meantime, be sure to guard against pregnancy with other forms of birth control. If your partner has birth control, encourage her to use it until you’re sperm-free. If you’re single, use condoms. Condoms have the added benefit of protecting against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), while vasectomies do not.
Fact: A vasectomy doesn’t affect your ability to get and maintain an erection. Once you’re healed, your sex life should be completely normal (just a little more worry-free).
Directly after your vasectomy, it’s highly unlikely you’ll be in the mood for sex. You must abstain, anyway, not just from sex but from masturbation, too. Wait until you’re fully recovered until you ejaculate. That usually only takes a week.
Fact: A vasectomy is a permanent procedure that sterilizes you so that you can’t father children. Even though you can sometimes reverse a vasectomy (and Dr. Lesani is an expert in doing so), you should never go into a vasectomy with the expectation that you can one day undo it.
During your consultation, Dr. Lesani asks you detailed questions about why you want a vasectomy to ensure that you understand that it’s meant to be permanent. He strongly discourages you from considering it as a temporary fix.
Are you 100% committed to not having children in the future? If so, contact our team today for a vasectomy consultation at 702-470-2579. You can also book your appointment online.
