PRACTICALITIES

The area to shave or clip should include the upper-front and side of the scrotum (‘the sac’) before the procedure. The site of the procedure site is in the midline, and higher up than many guys think. Lift your penis out of the way to get to the area of the sac that needs most attention.

Go higher than you think!

Wet shaving has the edge over a beard trimmer, which tends to cause cuts.

You can shave slightly away from the skin to reduce nicks. Stubble is fine!

Have a shower before you attend the clinic if you can.

You will need to keep the area dry after your vasectomy and are asked not to shower until the following morning.

Wear firm or supportive underwear, and avoid boxer shorts. You can’t go wrong with Briefs.

Please bring:

• Your Medicare card.
• Your debit card linked to your bank account used for medicare – to allow us to process your medicare rebate on the spot. This card may be different from your payment card that may be a debit card or credit card.

Dr Beatty will welcome you +/- your partner into the consulting room and discuss:

• The obvious benefits of vasectomy.
• The small risks of the procedure.
• Aftercare is discussed both before and after.

You are invited to sign the consent form.

Please be prepared for the small possibility that you won’t be suitable for a vasectomy. This situation occurs less than 5% of the time but may explain why some vasectomy clinics insist that you make a separate appointment for the consultation.

Let’s say that you’re unlucky and cannot go ahead with the procedure. You would then be referred to a hospital facility for consideration of vasectomy under general anaesthetic.

What happens to the deposit payment if you are not suitable for the procedure? You are reimbursed the deposit and charged a smaller out-of-pocket expense to cover the consultation.

It’s time to hop onto the couch! You are first asked to slip off your belt & empty your pockets into a small box.

At this stage, you only need to remove your shoes before lying on the couch.

Dr Beatty will wash you down with warm antiseptic prior to covering the area with a drape. Only the front of the scrotum can be seen during the procedure. Your privacy is prioritised throughout the procedure.

A no-needle anaesthesia is used to spray the anaesthetic through your skin. There are times when fine needle anaesthesia is used to supplement no needle anaesthesia. The important thing is you won’t be knowing what’s going on. Just relax as best as you can as Dr Beatty does everything to minimise or eliminate discomfort completely.

You are in the procedure room for around half an hour.

We’ll  let you know when you are ready to leave the clinic! You will be able to leave the clinic soon after the procedure – usually within 30 minutes.

Non-physical work – return a day or two after the procedure.

Physical work – ideally take at least 3 days off.

It is possible to get a haematoma even a week after a vasectomy. For this reason, guys doing very manual work are advised to take a few days off to recover, or at least ask if you can be on modified duties. Ask Dr Beatty for a Medical Certificate.

Great question – Ejaculation can start at least 48 hrs after the procedure, and sex from 5 days.

You absolutely must continue to use contraception until you get your all-clear.

Whilst our failure rate is very low, remember  that you will remain fertile until the ‘swimmers have cleared the pipes’ – typically a few weeks. Your partner can easily get pregnant before the post vasectomy sample. Play safe, not with fire.

Bleeding around the dressing may occur in the 1st 2-3 hrs. Apply 10 minutes of firm pressure followed by an ice pack (over a towel) for 20 minutes. Finally, apply a fresh dressing. Any bleeding should have stopped by then.

Bruising may be noticed for a few days. Bruising rarely lasts for more than 10 days. The bruising may occasionally look impressive but is itself harmless.

Both bleeding around the dressing and bruising are caused by bleeding from tiny blood vessels near the surface of the wound. This type of bleeding is almost always insignificant.

Swelling is rare, and usually caused by internal bleeding. Haematoma occurs in fewer than 1% of Vasectomies. The scrotum becomes swollen and painful. Haematoma typically occurs in the first 3-4 days of the procedure but rarely occurs on the same day as the procedure. ‘Taking it easy’ does help to reduce the risk of haematoma. Bleeding eventually stops, and the blood clot is gradually absorbed. A severe haematoma can take 3 months to resolve but may be painful.

The Vasectomist carefully audits his rate of haematoma that sits under 1 in 300 vasectomies.

Blood in the semen is frankly alarming. However, a little blood in the semen after the vasectomy is quite normal.

Please contact Dr Beatty if the blood is large in quantity, causes pain, or does not settle within a few weeks of the procedure.