Vasectomy in Minneapolis

Posted on February 21, 2013 by shucosmetic

With so many options available in terms of birth control for women, many men in Minnesota inquire regarding the availability of other options for male birth control excluding the usual abstinence, condoms, withdrawal before ejaculation, and vasectomy. I would predict that with the fast development of modern medical science in 21th century, just as women do, men will soon be able to simply take a pill to control the release of their sperm.

There are actually much medical research being done in this field; such a market has a high demand. A number of research groups across the globe have tried different alternatives to male birth control. These include injected plugs, heat methods, pharmaceuticals, hormonal therapy, and obstruction of the vas deferens. Despite promising developments, these treatments are experimental , and not approved by FDA , and not worth any potential risks.

Many people in Minneapolis and St Paul areas are still misinformed about vasectomy; it is not as painful and inconveniencing as one may believe. Modern developments in vasectomy have reached a point where a vasectomy can be done in a doctor’s office in less than 20 minutes, using only local anesthesia. The procedure is incredibly simple and pain free- it involves making a small incision in the scrotum, where the vas deferens are severed and prevented from joining back together. Discomfort afterwards is minimal and patients can quickly return to their everyday lives. The patient who gets a “No Scalpel” vasectomy typically feel no change in libido, as vasectomies cause no physical change in sensation, testosterone levels, blood flow to the penis, amount of semen, or satisfaction of an orgasm. The only difference is that the semen has no sperm in it.

Simply put, no scalpel vasectomy is a safe, simple, and convenient method of male birth control with few drawbacks.

Vasectomy and Sexual Heath | Minneapolis

Posted on February 14, 2013 by shucosmetic

Many men in Minnesota worry about how a vasectomy will affect their sex drive. Will I be able to have an erection, or ejaculate? How will it affect being able to have an orgasm? Will I still have a sex drive? The good news is that there is no relationship between a vasectomy and sex drive because there are no physiological changes that take place during a vasectomy, and the testicles and adrenal glands continue to manufacture testosterone hormone. Testosterone also controls masculinity that is why the sex drive and masculinity are not affected by the surgery, either. It will not interfere with the blood vessels or the nerves that are responsible for having an erection and ejaculation. Men after vasectomy in Minneapolis and St Paul areas will still have the same ability to maintain an erection and reach the orgasm. The color and consistency of the semen after vasectomy are not changed since the semen mainly comes from the prostrate and seminal vesicles which are not affected by the vasectomy.

It takes a few months of testing to determine that there are no more sperm present in the semen. Once that is established couples do not have to worry about using another method of birth control. It has been reported by both men and women that their sex life improved after a vasectomy, most of the vasectomy patients in One Stop Medical Center reported similar results. There is no more anxiety over an unplanned pregnancy and the sex drive has not decreased.

Besides the initial mild swelling and aching right after no scalpel vasectomy, most men recover very quickly and return to work in a few days. Very few men in Minnesota may experience occasional mild aching in their testicles during sexual intercourse within a few months of vasectomy.

What a vasectomy does is prevent the sperm from being able to fertilize an egg. A man will no longer be able to father a child. Since a vasectomy is more of a permanent form of sterilization, it should be seriously and thoroughly discussed between husband and wife and medical professionals in the initial counseling, and all concerns such as; lowered sex drive, any pain related to the surgery, and reversibility, should be addressed.

March Madness is upon us and it brings Vasectomy Madness in Minnesota

Posted on February 6, 2013 by admin

NCAA Basketball tournament time seems to be a very popular time for vasectomies. Some clinics in the nation report a 50% increase in vasectomies at that time. Men in Minnesota can do two things at once; recover from their vasectomy and catch some great basketball action. The recovery time for a no-scalpel vasectomy is usually a day or two of rest and using ice packs. What a great way to watch some guilt free basketball knowing that the “to do” list will need to wait. If March is the month you are looking at getting your procedure done, you may want to set up your appointment early.

It just may become a trend in vasectomies in Minneapolis and St Paul areas. Pick your favorite sport and time your procedure with the games you want to watch. It may be the World Series, The Super Bowl or the Stanley Cup playoffs that you want to watch with your wife’s approval during your recovery time. Dr. Steven Shu, of One Stop Medical Center in Edina, MN said that so far he has not noticed a trend with vasectomies in Minnesota and the NCAA Basketball tournament. Maybe that is something that he will use for advertising down the road for his vasectomy procedures.

Vasectomy Techniques | Minneapolis & St Paul

Posted on January 27, 2013 by admin

There are quite a few vasectomy techniques to choose from – traditional vasectomy, no-scalpel vasectomy, laser vasectomy and clip vasectomy. Below is a rundown of how each vasectomy method is performed in Minneapolis and St Paul areas.

Traditional

The traditional vasectomy is a small surgical procedure performed in a surgical center or doctor’s office that typically takes about 30 minutes to complete. Using a scalpel, your doctor makes 1-2 small incisions in the skin of the scrotum to access each testicle’s vas deferens tubes. The tubes are then lifted, cut, and tied or cauterized. The cut tubes are placed back into the scrotal sac before each incision is stitched up, and the sutures are removed in a week. Patients who undergo a traditional vasectomy typically experience more pain and swelling and longer recovery time due to more trauma, bleeding and sutures. Fewer surgeons learn the traditional vasectomy technique nowadays.

Laser

Most of the steps involved for a laser vasectomy are the same as those of a traditional vasectomy. Incisions must first be made in the scrotal skin so that your doctor can access the vas deferens tubes. After the tubes are lifted, a laser is usually used to cut the tubes or stop any bleeding, or a smaller laser wire is used to coagulate the lining of the vas tubes. However, because a laser is not actually needed, there is no significant advantage to using one for a vasectomy. The name “laser vasectomy” is used more for marketing purposes than for actual procedure benefits. Most vasectomies are usually performed with a battery-operated disposable eye cautery.

Clip

The vas clip idea is not new. The use of clips, or permanent staple-like devices, was expected to shorten a vasectomy’s overall procedure time without actually cutting the tubes. These clips cost the patients extra money, typically a few hundred dollars for titanium clips. Studies have also reported that the Vasclip is less effective than the no-scalpel vasectomy for reducing sperm count. To date, there is insufficient evidence showing that the Vasclip is better than a standard vasectomy or offers any known advantages compared to no-scalpel vasectomy techniques. Some insurance companies consider this procedure to be investigational and will not pay for it.

No-Scalpel

Developed in China in the 1970s, the no-scalpel technique is a minimally invasive procedure that does not require a large skin cut or sutures. In the past few decades, it has become increasingly popular around the world, as it is considered a more gentle vasectomy technique that minimizes bruising and discomfort. Other advantages include less noticeable scars and quicker recovery time.

While a scalpel is not used for this method, an opening must still be made in order to access the vas deferens tubes. Under local anesthesia, your doctor uses a specially designed sharp hemostat to penetrate the skin. After he locates and holds the tubes using a small ring clamp, he uses same hemostat to separate the tissue layers and pull the tubes out; the tubes are cut and cauterized a battery-operated disposable eye cautery, and a tiny metal clip is applied to each vas fascia to separate the ends and improve the effectiveness. After placing the tubes back into the scrotal sac, your doctor usually allows the openings to close on their own since the incisions are significantly smaller than those of a traditional vasectomy procedure.

One Stop Medical Clinic in Edina and Shoreview specializes in the office procedure offering the minimally invasive no scalpel vasectomy. Dr. Shu has performed hundreds of no scalpel vasectomy without any complications. Please call our office at 952-922-2151 to have the initial consultation to answer all your questions.

Vasectomy History Part 4 | Minneapolis

Posted on January 5, 2013 by admin

This is the final part of the long and interesting history of the Vasectomy. The first non-scalpel vasectomy was not performed until 1985 in the United States by Dr. Mark Goldstein at the New York Presbyterian Hospital Cornell Medical Center. He was a member of the international team, sponsored by the Association of Voluntary Surgical Contraception that went to China to learn the procedure. The procedure was then introduced to other countries by the other team members.

In 1999 the no-needle vasectomy is introduced after 6 years of preparation. A spray jet injector was used for the local anesthesia. This technique was developed by Dr. Charles L. Wilson of Seattle, WA in consultation with the late Dr. Ralph Adam who was the inventor of the MadaJet device used in this technique. The local anesthesia given with 30 gauge needle is almost painless in the good hands, mild pain while given anesthesia is actually caused by the acidic lidocaine, but the application of Madajet does reduce the anxiety in the needle phobia patients.

A Study is published in China in 2003 about the long term effects of vasectomy on benign enlargement of the prostrate. (BPH) The study concludes that vasectomy reduces the incidence rate of BPH significantly.

Robotic vasectomy reversal is first performed on rats in 2004. A study was done using a new microsurgical robot that had FDA approval in 2000. It was used to perform two types of reversal procedures on rats. The robot does not have the shaking hands that humans do. The initial results were that the robotic group had less obstruction or blockage than the group where humans performed the procedure. The incidence of granulomas was also much lower in the robotic groups.

A 2005 publication of research into the “no needle” technique of using a high pressure injector to administer anesthetic shows results of less discomfort to patients and is much faster acting than needle administered anesthetic.

The Vasclip which was FDA approved in 2003, has its first independent study into the effectiveness and short term complications of the device published in2006. In 2007 the Vasclip website went dead. It was found that it was not easier to reverse this procedure than a regular vasectomy. Many men got the Vasclip thinking that it would be easier to reverse when they wanted to have children again. In many cases it did more damage to the vas deferens.

Dr. Shu has performed no scalpel vasectomy for 15 years. He invented two-finger technique in facilitating the local anesthesia and holding the vas during the surgery. In 2008, Dr. Steven Shu opened his own clinic, One Stop Medical Center in Edina and Shoreview, MN which is focused on in-office procedures including no-scalpel vasectomy. In 2009 Dr. Steven Shu also adds the “no needle” vasectomy. The clinic has been doing many more vasectomies every year after the procedure-oriented clinic gained more reputation and became the number one vasectomy clinic in Minnesota. Dr. Shu is an assistant professor in the University of Minnesota medical school, teaching no scalpel vasectomy and other office procedures in the Smiley’s Clinic. You can read more about it at www.EZvasectomy.com.

History of Vasectomy part 3 | Shu Procedures Minneapolis

Posted on December 24, 2012 by admin

In 1918 the first vasectomy on humans is performed for rejuvenation. This was done based on experiments of old senile rats that were transformed after obstructing the outflow from the testes. Two notable people, Sigmund Freud and WB Yeats had vasectomy performed for rejuvenation.

Twyman and Nelson reported a successful case of a vasectomy anastomosis known as a reversal in1938. The patient had a reversal 4 years after having an elective vasectomy. The procedure was recommended due to depression caused by the desire to father children. After the procedure the patient’s emotional condition improved and he was able to father children.

By 1948 the list of indications for vasectomy were: prevention of the insane, criminal or perverse producing offspring, the wife having precarious health and is unable or refuses to undergo tubal ligation, an agreement between the husband and wife to prevent pregnancy, to prevent epididymitis following prostrate surgery, male rejuvenation, and mass sterilization for the purpose of racial limitation/extermination.

In the 1950’s a case is reported of a vassoraphy or repair performed 10 years after the original vasectomy with complete function. The patient’s wife was able to become pregnant 6 months after the procedure. Vasectomy is becoming favorable for use for sterilization. By 1953, vasectomy procedures had been watched for a period of 30 years and were found to have no adverse side effects. Any complications were reported were a result of technical surgical errors. In 1955 Jhaver introduces the single incision, single stitch approach. The advantage being that a bilateral vasectomy was possible using one incision with less surgical trauma and post-operative care. He publishes his technique in 1958.

New techniques continue to appear for vasectomies. In 1967 a new technique is introduced in India by Kothari and Pardanani. They demonstrated that it’s possible to produce a sub fertile sperm count by using a synthetic thread to temporarily obstruct the vas deferens. Removing it would restore fertility. Based on two cases the thread was left in for 20 weeks and 6 weeks later fertility had returned to previous levels. No-scalpel vasectomy was developed in China in 1974 by Dr. Li Shungiang of Chongqing Family Planning Research Institute, Sichuan province. Tubal ligation was the most commonly used method of voluntary sterilization. Vasectomy was not popular with Chinese men. The new technique was minimally invasive with a much lower complication than the conventional method.

History of Vasectomy Part 2 | Minneapolis

Posted on December 5, 2012 by admin

In 1890 vasectomy is suggested as an alternative to castration by Ewing Mears for the treatment of severe symptoms of enlarged prostate glands. Then in 1899 Ochsner (future professor of Surgery at the University of Illinois) publishes his paper “Surgical treatment of habitual criminals”, which kick-starts the Eugenics movement. The Eugenics movement uses science to reform and control nature and human society. It stems from the idea of survival of the fittest.

In 1900, Harrison publishes a paper based on over 100 cases where Vasectomy was the primary procedure for the removal of bladder stones. Claims of rapid and substantial improvement with minimal morbidity led to the treatment being fashionable for a short time for management of enlarged prostate. Wood publishes a case study of 193 patients undergoing vasectomy as treatment for enlarged prostate. 15% had improved urination, but 67% manifested some “General improvement”.

In 1902, Bilateral Vasectomy was first established to be effective in reducing the incidence of epididymitis after prostatectomy. The medical profession had sought hard to find an alternative to the existing practice of castration for enlarged prostate, and it was established by White that vasectomy was an effective treatment. One of the reasons an alternative was sought is because of the reputed case whereby a disgruntled patient murdered a surgeon! Vasectomy remained in common use as a cure for post-prostate surgery until antibiotics were common place.

In 1907, Parlovechoi first attempted to reverse an accidental vasectomy that occurred in a hernia operation. Later authors describe the technique under the names of Vasorraphy or vasovasal anastomis.

During 1907-1910 Vasectomy is recommended to be used to sterilize “the undesirables” of the world. Belfield publishes his paper “Race suicide for social parasites”. He was one of the proponents of enforced vasectomy for criminals. This is where the Eugenics movement comes into play. In 1910 Russia sent a delegate to the United States to observe a male prisoner being sterilized.

History of Vasectomy – Part 1 | Minneapolis

Posted on November 18, 2012 by admin

It is difficult to find another surgical procedure as simple as vasectomy that has sparked so much medical and social controversies for more than a century. The history of this procedure is a combination of finding the the most ideal technique and the best results but also filled with misconceptions, false beliefs and incorrect indications. Vasectomy has a long and interesting history. The term vasectomy means an excision of the vas deferens. In Latin, vas means vessel and deferre means to carry down. As a medical term, vasectomy is somewhat misapplied because only part of the vas deferens is excised during the procedure. Vas deferens as an anatomic structure was not a subject of significant clinical and research interest until the nineteenth century

Most people believe that the practice of vasectomy started in 1950 but the concept of male birth control dates as far back as the 1640’s when the first known condoms were used. The first condoms were made from fish and animal intestines. It was believed they were used to stop sexually transmitted disease.

In 1830, Sir Ashley Cooper’s “Observations on the Structure and Diseases of the Testis” was published in London. Cooper found that when the blood vessels of a dog’s testicle were tied, no issues followed coitus. This experiment on the dog, is what seeded the development of a surgical procedure for birth control in men called vasectomy. The dog, however, retained the ability to produce sperm even after 6 years of the surgery. In 1847, Gosselin found while dissecting human corpses with the vas deferens entirely blocked. He started studying the effects of removing part of the vas deferens and tying it together using dogs for his experiments.

In 1844, the first rubber condoms were being used for male birth control. Goodyear and Hancock began to mass produce condoms made out of vulcanized rubber. Vulcanization is a process which turns crude rubber into a strong elastic material. In 1861, the first advertisement for condoms was published in the New York Times. The printed ad was for Dr. Power’s French Preventatives. Unfortunately the Comstock Law, named after Anthony Comstock, was passed in 1873 making it illegal to advertise any sort of birth control. The law also allowed the postal service to confiscate condoms sold through the mail. We have come a long way since then.

More on this interesting piece of history coming up in part 2.