Quiz: Do You Know Vasectomy Facts From Fiction?

Let’s put this myth to bed. The surgery won’t lighten your libido. You’ll still get erections and enjoy sex like you did before. Only one thing will be different after the surgery: Your semen won’t have any sperm. Some men say a vasectomy makes sex better because they don’t have to plan birth control or worry about pregnancy.

In the traditional operation, your doctor cuts or blocks the tubes that carry sperm from your testicles to your penis. They make one or two small cuts in your scrotum to get to those tubes. But that’s not the most common way it is done in the US. With newer “no-knife” procedures, a doctor makes a small hole in one side of the scrotum. There’s no need for stitches when it’s done that way.

You won’t need to stay in the hospital for a vasectomy. It’s a quick, safe, and simple surgery that you usually get in a doctor’s office or outpatient surgery center. You’ll be awake, but your doctor will give you medicine to numb the area. Typically, the most you’ll feel is a slight tugging or pulling.

Your testicles will still make sperm after the surgery. You just won’t release them when you ejaculate. When sperm cells die, your body absorbs them. That happens with other dead cells, too.

You’ll need backup birth control for a while. It takes time for the sperm to clear out of your body. Your doctor will ask you to bring samples of your semen to checkups after your surgery. You may need to ejaculate 15 to 20 times before all the sperm is gone.  You’ll get the OK to nix backup birth control after you have two samples without sperm. That could take 3 months or longer.

After the vasectomy, you might be swollen, bruised, or in a little pain. If you’re a boxer kind of guy, invest in a few pairs of tight briefs or a jock strap. They’ll support your scrotum. It’ll also help to use an ice pack and take it easy while you’re recovering. You should be back to normal within a week or two.

Vasectomy is safer, less expensive, and easier to recover from than tubal ligation, when a woman’s fallopian tubes are tied or closed so that sperm and eggs can’t meet. But women get their tubes tied about 2 to 3 times more often than men get vasectomies. Experts think that could be because some men believe the surgery has bad side effects. Only about 6% of men in the U.S. have had a vasectomy.
 

The operation won’t raise your risk for prostate cancer or testicular cancer. Men who’ve had the procedure also aren’t more likely to have heart disease or immune system problems. Talk to your doctor if you’re concerned or have questions.

If you think you may want children later, a vasectomy is not for you. It’s meant to be permanent birth control. Surgery to undo it costs a lot and may not work. If you do want a reversal, it’s more likely to work if you have it close to the time of your vasectomy.