Vasectomy is for life. If you decide to have a vasectomy, you will no longer be able to conceive or become pregnant with your partner. If you're unsure about not wanting more children some day, a vasectomy might not be a good choice for you. Surgical procedures do exist to reverse vasectomy, but these operations are expensive and do not always work. On average, only half of couples that try having children after reversal do have a child. For information about this, we can refer you to a urologist who does reversals.

Vasectomy is a very safe, low-risk procedure, but, with any surgery some complications can occur. Inflammation, mild bruising and swelling can occur. We recommend wearing tight underpants or a jock strap for the first few days after the vasectomy to decrease your chances of discomfort with movement, especially when playing sports, as soreness can last through that first week. 

Relax with your feet up on the day of your vasectomy. If you choose, you can return to work or light activity the following day. Most people are back to normal on day 2.  After your procedure, you cannot have sexual intercourse for a week. 

There may be some initial soreness for a night or two after, but this is easily relieved with a cold compress and/or non-prescription pain relievers such as Tylenol or ibuprofen. Wearing tight underpants or a jock strap for support can decrease discomfort with movement, especially for sports through day 7, as soreness can last through the first week. 

Other rare complications include: infection (very rare and can be treated with antibiotics), a painful bump on the vas (sperm granuloma), and bleeding into the scrotum causing a collection of blood (scrotal hematoma). Several weeks after the procedure some patients experience pain in the testicles that usually only lasts a few days (about 5%). This is resolved with oral anti-inflammatory medications, like Tylenol and Ibuprofen. Chronic pain is very rare (about <1%).

Although unlikely, the continuing ability to get someone pregnant is also a risk of vasectomy.

Vasectomy does not cause health problems.  Vasectomy does not affect the male hormones produced by the testicles. After a vasectomy, sexual function does not change. Sensations, erections, and ejaculations will be the same except that the ejaculate no longer contains sperm.

• Vasectomies are not easily reversed.  
• It takes three months until the patient is sperm-free.  Other birth control needs to be used in the meantime. 
• Vasectomies do not prevent the transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STI's).