What are the disadvantages of a Vasectomy?
- A vasectomy requires surgery. Some men are afraid.
- Some men fear the operation will affect their ability to have intercourse or will interfere with erection.
- There is some pain or discomfort and scrotal discoloring (usually not severe) for several days after the operation. Pain can usually be relieved with mild pain medications. Keep an ice pack on the scrotum for at least 4 hours to reduce the chances of swelling, bleeding and discomfort. Wear a scrotal support for 2 days (jockey shorts will be adequate).
- There is no easy way to check after tubal sterilization to see if it is "still working."
- Tubal sterilization is very effective but definitely not 100% effective. The failure rate is as high as 1-5% in the 10 years after the operation. If you think that you are pregnant at any time in the future, return to the clinic immediately. Should a pregnancy occur, there is an increased chance that it will be outside of your uterus (called an ectopic pregnancy).
- The operation is not effective immediately. You will need to use condoms until the sperm clears from the tubes. To find out if you are sterile, have your semen examined under a microscope after about 20-30 ejaculations. It is important to know that you have no mobile (moving) sperm. Then and only then can you be sure you are protected. Until one (or even two) semen test have shown not moble
- sperm, you should use another contraceptive.
- A very small percentage of men have chronic pain after a vasectomy.
- Regret after vasectomy is greater if the man's partner is under 25, if he divorces or remarries, if a child dies, or when the vasectomy is done immediately after a new baby.
- The operation to reverse a vasectomy does not always work. It is highly technical, expensive, and its results cannot be guaranteed.
- Vasectomy provides no protection against sexually transmitted infections including HIV (the AIDS virus)
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