The vasectomy procedure
People like to joke about getting snipped or clipped, but when it’s your turn, you become much more serious about the procedure. A vasectomy is a tried and true, safe and highly effective form of male birth control. It’s an outpatient surgical procedure that we usually perform in our office in about 30 minutes. You can go home afterward, and most men don’t miss much work, often having the surgery on a Friday and returning to work the following Monday.
Myths about vasectomies
Before our Austin urologists explain the procedure, we need to clear up a few of the falsehoods you may have heard about vasectomies. First and foremost, vasectomies aren’t anything like being neutered or castrated. Here are some other things you should know.
- Most insurance companies will cover the procedure; if not, our practice will work with you to find a competitive price.
- The procedure will not change your sexual desire.
- It won’t cause erectile dysfunction.
- Vasectomies won’t increase your risk of getting prostate cancer or sexually transmitted infections, or STIs.
When you are thinking about having the procedure, do yourself a favor and don’t talk to family or friends or look at images online. Come and talk to our Austin urologists instead.
How the procedure works
If you’re considering having a vasectomy, it helps if you understand how our physicians perform the procedure and how it works. First, you need to understand your anatomy. Your vas deferens are tubes where sperm travel from your testicles into your prostate gland, where the sperm mixes with the semen your prostate produces. The surgery blocks the sperm from entering the semen in your prostate gland. After the procedure, you still ejaculate semen, but it won’t contain sperm. Your testicles still produce sperm, but your body absorbs it since it can’t get to the prostate.
Okay, now you know why we block the sperm, but you need to know how we do it. Here’s a step-by-step outline of the vasectomies our surgeons perform.
- Our team shaves and washes your scrotal area with an antiseptic.
- They inject the area with local anesthesia. You will be numb, but you will feel some tension, touch or movement during the procedure, but not sharp pain.
- Whether you have a conventional, no-scalpel or “Mistry” vasectomy, the basic process is the same. The surgeon accesses your vas deferens and cuts them. They then tie or sear the ends of the tubes to block the sperm from entering the semen in the prostate gland.
- After the surgery, your surgeon may close any incisions or punctures with dissolvable stitches or let the skin close on its own.
Rely on the expertise and skill of our Austin urologists when you need a vasectomy
Our experienced surgeons have performed thousands of vasectomies, so you can count on their experience and training when it’s your turn. Contact us to make an appointment.