A Vasectomy at The Bercier Clinic is Safe and Effective Male Contraception

Preparing for the procedure

• Shave around the penis and all of your scrotum the day before your vasectomy. Since some alcohol is used to wipe the skin before using the MadaJet, freshly shaved skin could become slightly itchy if irritated.
• Arrange to have someone take you home. Some patients pass out during or shortly after their vasectomy (about 1 patient out of 100) and some pass out in the car on their way home. In Canada, about 1 patient out of 10,000 will have a car accident while driving home. If you must drive, please stay in the right lane of traffic to be able to stop if you are feeling unwell or dizzy. If you take Valium for your procedure, you must arrange for a driver to accompany you, as you will not be permitted to drive.
• Before your procedure, eat breakfast or lunch as usual. Men who are nervous or do not eat before the vasectomy are more likely to become dizzy during or after the procedure.
• If you are known to develop weakness during a medical procedure, we strongly suggest taking 100 mg of Gravol 30 minutes before your appointment

Operation

• A jet injector is used to shoot a very fine stream of anaesthesia that numbs the skin and penetrates it to a depth of 5 mm, which is sufficient to surround and freeze each tube (vas deferens) when these are immobilized under the numbed skin.
• While the anaesthesia takes hold, the scrotum is cleaned and wrapped in a sterile manner.
• The tube is manipulated into position just under the numbed skin.
• It is immobilized under the skin with a holding clip; tissues are then delicately separated to reach the tube.
• The tube is brought to skin level.
• The upper cut end of the tube is cauterized (burnt) to make it close up through scarring.
• A tiny titanium clip is then put in to ensure the ends of the tube are separated by a layer of tissue.
• No stitching is required and the small opening closes up within a few days.

No-needle, no-scalpel vasectomy

Recovery

A vasectomy requires a quick recovery period, typically a gradual return to normal within 7 days. Patients are advised to keep activities to a minimum during this time. Those with sedentary jobs can return to work the day after the procedure.

Post-vasectomy Instructions

• After the procedure, spend a quiet evening at home. Keep your activities to a minimum.
• You can ice the area a few minutes after the vasectomy. You can apply the ice pack over your underwear or scrotal support for 20 to 30 minutes at a time, every hour, for the first 1 to 3 days.
• You can take acetaminophen (Tylenol or generic) if you feel uncomfortable.  If this is not enough to give you relief, you can also take an anti-inflammatory drug such as ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil or generic) or Naproxen (Aleve or generic).
• No bathing or swimming (pool, lake, bath, etc.) for 7 days. You can clean your scrotum in the shower as soon as the wound is closed.
• You should wear the athletic support, during the day, for the first 7 days following the procedure.
• After 7 days, when you first get back to activities, only go half-strength: half the weight; half the reps; half the speed; half the distance; etc. If no pain returns, you can get back to your usual routine the next day.
• The American Urological Association recommends one (1) week before you can ejaculate, if there is no pain or sensitivity. Blood in the semen for the first few ejaculations, or even one (1) month after the procedure, is not worrisome. Use other means of contraception until we confirm that your sperm contains no live spermatozoa.
• Since no suture is used to close up the small opening in the skin, no follow-up visit is required. However, if you feel very uncomfortable or if you have any worries, please reach us via our clinic’s Portal. About 10% of men will feel some discomfort up to two (2) weeks after the procedure and 1-5% up to three (3) month following the vasectomy.
• It is normal to see some discolouration in the skin at the vasectomy site. Some men will see considerable discolouration in their scrotum after the procedure. Blood from the vasectomy site will rise to the surface as a purplish blue bruise that will darken and spread before disappearing with time.
• Sperm granuloma is an expected outcome of vasectomy surgery. A tiny almond- sized lump forms at the cut end of the vas deferens (the tube carrying sperm from the testicle) naturally sealing the canal. This little lump shrinks over time and can be undetectable by one year after your surgery. Do not touch or examine this as it will cause complications.
• At least 12 weeks and 20 ejaculations after your vasectomy, bring or send a sample of sperm to the lab. It is strongly recommended to use another method of contraception until Dr. Bercier’s office lets you know the results of the analysis. If no spermatozoa are present, an alternative means of contraception will no longer be necessary. However, in about 5-10% of cases, the analysis will not be conclusive. If that is the case, we will ask for another sample 4 to 6 weeks after the first one. This sample will need to be analysed within two hours, and will have to be produced at the lab itself.

Sperm make up only 2-5% of ejaculate, and most men do not notice any change in the ejaculated fluid.

Since it has no effect on the male hormones produced by the testicles, a vasectomy does not cause any changes in libido, orgasm or erection. A vasectomy does not affect a man’s masculinity in any way.