Vasectamy (visectomy) FAQ |
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| The Visectomy FAQ - with answers to your questions on vasectomies (vascetamy) . | |
Vasectamy FAQ
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Vasectamy - what is it?Vasectomy is male sterilization, done in a permanent way by cutting off the vas deferens tubes located between your groin and the testicles, then sealing them again either by stitching or using heat (the heat method is called cauterization). Vasectemy - is it painful?No, not really. Uncomfortable is the usual description and the most painful bit is the injection of the anesthetic before the vascetamy. Is there a difference between male and female visectomy?Firstly, a vesectomy is the male sterilization - it is not used on female patients. For women, the corresponding procedure is a tubal occlusion or tubal ligation. A vasectemy is done under local anestethic while the tubal occlusion (ligation) takes a general anesthetic. A vasectomy is a smaller operation. Vesectomy - how common is this operation?In the US, approximately 13% of the married men between ages 20-40 have had the operation. New Zealand and Australia nearly 23%, while China and many other Asian countries have a lower frequency, typically less than 8%. UK statistics show around 17%. In the world as a whole, around 5% of all married couple have had a male vasectomy done. What different vascetamy methods are there?The conventional operation is the most common - that involves one incision (two for a bilateral operation) where the vas deferens is cut and the ends are sealed with one of the two methods (stitches or heat). There is also the NSV method - the No Scalpel Vasectomy - where a small tool is used to get inside and cut the tube and seal it. There are also variants of these methods. A Vasclip - what is that?The so called Vasclip is a recent invention, it was launched on the US market in 2003 following the FDA approval the year before. It is still undergoing tests in many other countries and not available yet outside the US. The Vasclip is a small clip that seals the vas deferens (instead of a permanent cutting off). Can the vasectomy be reversed?Yes it can - but even with a visectomy reversal, there is a high risk that you will still not be able to father a child. Will a vasectomi affect my male hormonal balance?No, not particularly. The testosterone is produced by your testicles and nothing in the operation affects that so you will feel as masculine as before. There have been some studies pointing towards testosterone levels in older vasectomised men having decreased over the years compared to non-operation men but it does not seem to be a problem of any magnitude. What happens to the sperms if the tubes are blocked?The sperms will be re-absorbed back into your body. Even with no vasectomies, around 50% of all sperms produced will be reabsorbed. The transport chain is from the testicles to the epididymus where they are stored up to one month. In the epididymus, there is a flow of excess liquid through membranes back into your body and the solid content will to some extent disappear through the actions of macrophages. After the vesectomy, your body will simply "use up" more of the sperms in the storage (epididymus). So - will nothing come out then when I ejaculate?Oh yes it will, even after a vascetamy. Not any sperms though. The seminal fluid (which is 95% of an ejaculation) is still there so not much difference after a visectomy.
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