Vasectomy can, like any medical procedure, have side effects. These risks are small and are minimised with No Scalpel Vasectomy. Vasectomy is widely regarded as the best form of permanent contraception.
Bleeding. A little pin-point bleeding from the skin may occur after the procedure which can be stopped by pinching the skin together firmly for 15 minutes. Post-Vasectomy Haematoma describes internal bleeding that is sufficient to lead to scrotal pain and swelling. The Vasectomist’s rate of serious haematoma is less than 1 in 300. Haematoma will eventually go away on its own, although a large haematoma may take several months to resolve.
Reduce strenuous activity after the procedure to reduce the risk of haematoma.
Infection. The Vasectomist’s rate of infection is less than 1 in 300
Pain. The procedure itself is basically painless thanks to the advent of No Scalpel Vasectomy and Anaesthesia using The very finest needle available.
Post Vasectomy Pain. Post Vasectomy Pain (PVP) Syndrome is defined as discomfort occurring three months after the procedure that is sufficient to interfere with quality of life, and occurs in approximately 1-2% of men. However, only a small number of men with PVP will require a further procedure. Approximately 1 in 1000 men who have had a vasectomy require an operation for post-vasectomy pain. The author finds PVP to occur in fewer than 1% of men.
A small minority of men read very extensively about post-vasectomy pain syndrome prior to their procedure. This is sure to increase anxiety and can make any niggle afterwards seem like impending doom. There is a general correlation between chronic pain and anxiety to the point that the science is overwhelming. The pain is certainly not in the guy’s head, it’s more a case that anxiety has the potential to excite the pain pathways. Therefore, men who are excessively anxious about the possibility of PSVP prior to the procedure should not, in my opinion, have a vasectomy.
Prostate Cancer
There was some media concern in 2013 that vasectomy may slightly increase the risk of prostate cancer. The American Association of Urology have provided a reassuring statement in 2014 following a detailed analysis. They state that ‘vasectomy is not a risk factor for prostate cancer or for high-grade prostate cancer. It is not necessary for physicians to routinely discuss prostate cancer in their preoperative counselling of vasectomy patients.’
There is further strong reassurance about vasectomy and prostate cancer in a Urology journal. The article was published in 2016 and is called ‘Vasectomy and prostate cancer risk: a historical synopsis of undulating false causality.’