Men have been surveyed about their vasectomy satisfaction since the mid 1970’s. The goal was to find out whether they were happy over all with their decision to have a vasectomy based on their sexual satisfaction and happiness. 90% agreed that their sexual desires and satisfaction levels were the same or better than before they had their vasectomy. 7-10% of men surveyed regretted their decision. The first surveys being done were just asking whether men were satisfied or dis-satisfied with their procedure. It did not ask about how they were feeling about it.

When the men were interviewed about their feelings and the psychological aspect was looked at, it was found there were valid reasons for men regretting their decision. Some were feeling bullied by their wife into having the procedure done. Others felt good about their decision but major changes in their life made them feel regretful. Life changes such as divorce and re-marrying or re-partnering with someone have a big impact on men especially if their new spouse or partner wants to have children. Up to 5% of men have a vasectomy reversal. A higher percentage would probably have a reversal done if it wasn’t for the cost and low success rates. Men who are typically younger when they have a vasectomy tend to have more regrets down the road.

Dr. Steven Shu performs no scalpel vasectomy in Minneapolis & St Paul, and he always requires a consultation and likes to make sure that both partners are in agreement before doing a vasectomy. It is important to have both couples on the same page in order to maintain high satisfaction levels in the emotional and sexual relationship.

So far in Minnesota, we haven’t had any doctors reporting a DYI surgery but in the UK they have a brave doctor who gave it a try. Dr. Jonathan Heatley of Horsham, West Sussex in the UK, performed 3 vasectomies and decided that he should be number 4 that day. He and his wife already have 3 boys who are ages, 12, 14, and 16 and he knew at some point he wanted to get a vasectomy. He called in his nurse and his wife who works with him as the practice manager. The doctor, who admittedly was a little nervous, gave himself a local anesthetic. His main concern was making sure that the area was numb before he started his procedure. His nurse and wife were standing by to help and everything went smoothly. He had his wife stepping on the foot pedal of the apparatus as needed for the DYI surgery. The procedure he performed on himself only took 20 minutes. Then he went home, relaxed and read a book. The next day he was back to work and just a couple days later was out riding his bike around town. Here is proof that a vasectomy is relatively pain free and nothing to be afraid of.

No scalpel Vasectomy is a minimally invasive procedure that can be done safely in the office. The complications of no scalpel vasectomy in Minnesota are very rare. The bleeding and hematoma formation is the most common immediate complication after vasectomy. The most significant long term side effect in the Minneapolis and St Paul areas is chronic pain after a no scalpel vasectomy. About 1 in 1,000 men experience pain afterward, and we haven’t had any reports on the chronic pain from our vasectomy patients yet. After a no scalpel vasectomy, men continue to produce sperm at about the same rate as before, and those sperm have to go somewhere. They typically build up in the epididymis, which is a 16-foot-long tightly coiled tube behind each testicle. Some men become sensitive to the buildup of pressure in the duct and begin to experience pain.

What can be done to relieve the pain? In many cases, taking an anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen, wearing a supporter and sitting in a warm tub to increase blood flow is enough to treat the problem. Eventually the pain goes away.

If it doesn’t, there are several options. We can redo the vasectomy, leaving the testicle end open, allowing the sperm to leak out, which relieves pressure in the epididymis. The downside is that this increases the chance that sperm will find a new channel into the ejaculate, so we have to monitor men by doing periodic sperm counts. Another option is to remove the epididymis, which is a much more complicated procedure than the original vasectomy. Or some patients may consider reverse the vasectomy, which always relieves the pain. The drawback, of course, is that the man is fertile again.