About the Procedure
First, and most importantly, decide if your family is complete. While medical science is improving all the time, current studies suggest that approximately 40-50% of vasectomies can be reversed, but the chances reduce with the time that has elapsed since the procedure.
Certain? Now make your appointment with The Vasman. Most procedures performed by the Vasman are performed on Thursdays and patients will be back at work the next Monday. The most important part of the recovery is ensuring that you have an easy weekend after the procedure – the general advice is no heavy lifting, strenuous work or sport for 2-3 days.
On the day of the procedure, you can drive yourself to and from the clinic if you want to, but your wife or partner may accompany you and even watch the procedure if you would both like that. When you arrive, you will have a detailed discussion with Dr. Masters who will go through the procedure with you and you will then sign a consent form (this is standard throughout the medical industry).
After the discussion Dr Masters will take you into the operating theatre. Firstly, a small amount of local anaesthetic (approx. 4mL) is injected into the surface of the scrotal skin. The Vasman then makes a very small incision through the skin [ The Vasman uses the ‘Non-scalpel’ method of making an incision.] – approximately 4mm in length, (so small that no stitches are required on completion) and then removes a small segment of the vas deferens.
In turn, each of the two vas deferens (the tubes that carry sperm from the testicles) are brought through the one incision, the segment removed, and the ends tied and cauterised.
After the procedure, Dr. Masters will then take you back into the doctor’s office and organize the samples you need to produce, to confirm the procedure has been successful. These are undertaken 16 weeks after the procedure and at least 24 ejaculations, as suggested by the British Andrology Society – see www.jclinpath.com British Andrology Society guidelines for the assessment of post vasectomy semen samples (2002).
In general, Dr. Masters will also suggest and give you a brief course of prophylactic antibiotics to help to prevent post-operative infection.
If you need further information, please contact Dr Masters.