It takes really big balls to do this OP. Shout out to all of you guys. As it has taken me 20 min walk and Tthe doc is 2 min away.

Crazy stuff you read here. Not really assuring 😅

Im so confused… I’m a 30yo male, 5 weeks out after vasectomy and I’m still fairly tender. Cyclist and I’m in good shape. I can’t sit on the bike for more than 30 mins. Did everything I was supposed to do post-op. When he was working on the left testicle, the pain was excruciating, right side was painless. But now the dull ache remains on the left side. I’m wondering wtf to even do?? I guess I could refrain from exercise and sexual activity until pain free. It just seems preposterous to have slight discomfort 5 weeks after the fact, this was labeled as an easy weekend recovery. Thoughts on this?

Back on June 10th had my procedure. Everything has been well but now I will have to say the most painful part of this entire procedure is the test date which for me is September 1st......I'm sick of condoms and my wife has no birth control and I simply do not trust the pull out method. This is excruciating lol I'm to the point where I can be excited for sex and once my brain goes into grab a condom mode I lose 100% interest. September is so far away and this was very much an ignored factor when going through the process of doing research and everything else needed to go get the procedure. Didn't think anything of it. This is my semi sarcastic but very real vent and I thank you all for being here. Fingers crossed on that all clear in September!

Almost at the 2 month mark and still sore. Some days are worse than others. Someone please give me hope! The potential for permanent pain always bugged me out

My urologist only tests a second time if sperm is still found in your system. Any experiences you guys can share? I'm sending in my post 3 month sample monday.

Are we facing a statistical anomaly?

Update: All clear!!

Hello everyone!

I'm on day 9 post op from a scalpal vasectomy.

I'm like 90% feeling back to normal (some rare very mild discomfort and still some swelling, unless my balls were always this big?) but I am having some issues with one of the incision sites.

The wound on the left side generally lies under my weiner, and is healing pretty well. It has a small scab but no real issues.

The right incision site however, I just cannot get a scab to stick. The scab keeps growing into my underwear or jockstrap, and sticking / peeling when I take them off.

I thought finally it was scabbed over good yesterday, but then today when I went to pee I peeled the whole scab off! A little bit painful, a tiny drop of blood or two, but I'm pissed because it is just resetting the healing process.

Does anyone know what could help? A lot of what I've seen online says Vaseline? Any experience is much appreciated 👍

Thanks brothers!

Last night I couldn't get comfortable in bed, wasn't tossing or turning really, just on the struggle to get comfortable. Eventually I went to the bathroom and pulled everything down, and the incision was actively bleeding, and a lot of blood at that. Woke the wife up and went to the ER.

Turns out I had a hematoma at the incision site that had been collecting blood, and finally burst through.

0/10 experience, do not recommend it.

Quick question. I seem to be a bit constipated after the surgery. Pushed a bit too hard on the toilet yesterday and could feel it in my lower abdomen while pushing. Today I woke up with my balls in the same state they’ve been, but with a pretty high level of pain in my abdomen. At the moment it’s pretty painful to walk or stand due to this pain. This is the area directly above my groin and below my stomach. Normal or cause for concern?

Day 6 had 3 days nearly to recover and was doing fine. Went back to work, light duties. Struggled to keep wound dry due to sweat. Now the scab is soft and white.

Any tips on keeping it dry?

It's kinda hard to support balls and have it open to the air which I feel would be ideal

Im 20.

Me and my partner have been together for 4 years now, we've talked multiple times about our future and wanting to have kids in our mid's to late 20's. She doesn't take any form of contraceptives, pills, patches, IUD and doesn't want to because she's afraid of the effects but still scared of getting pregnant which is completly understandable. I'm planning on going to see my doctor and speak with him to get a professional idea (i live in Europe so i dont exactly worry about the prices, atleast compared to the US) on the matter but am i making a bad choice? Is it reversible, i know it should be treated as a "permanent procedure" but from what i've seen if it is done before the 10 year mark it is pretty succesfull.

Any thoughts on the matter, just a bit unsure.

I (36M) have never wanted children, and currently I am 100% sure that I don't want to be a father, but I am also aware that no one knows the future and there is a non-zero chance that I might change my views and regret it in the future, which has been holding me back. I don't have a partner nor sexually active so there is no rush, but I also don't want to leave this decision for when I can be influenced by a possible partner. People use the "you will change your mind once you love someone who wants kids" argument but that's just annoying (I should have kids if I want them, not for someone else's sake).

Anyway I'm rambling, but wanted to ask for those who got it done, was it a "I'm 100% sure about this" with no doubts? or more of a leap of faith despite some doubts?

I’m asking sincerely, not as a debate post.
For anyone who has had a vasectomy, is planning one, or is seriously considering one: did abortion bans, abortion restrictions, or fear of future restrictions affect your decision?
I’m especially interested in hearing from people in the U.S., but experiences from anywhere are welcome.
Did the legal environment make sterilization feel more urgent, responsible, or necessary? Did it affect how you and your partner think about pregnancy risk, family planning, or sex?

If your wife/partner/significant other has gone through pregnancy, birth, miscarriage care, pregnancy complications, or family planning in a restricted state and wants to share her experience, I also made a women-specific post here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/women/s/6cu9pHesDa

And for a broader sterilization discussion open to anyone considering or pursuing sterilization, I posted here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/sterilization/s/NEEHoWZAjU
Please only share what you feel comfortable sharing. You do not have to name your state or country if you do not want to.

I want to have a vasectomy, so I started looking around to gather information. So far I have had consultations with 4 doctors. I narrowed down the selection to two of them. In general, it seems like doctors in the country where I am (Germany) don't seem to be super up to speed with modern vasectomy techniques, at least based on the research I have done. Please correct me if you see anything wrong in my analysis.

Both clinics have doctors with stellar reviews. The clinics are modern, the price is similar. All the doctors claimed they haven't had any case of serious chronic pain after surgery.

Based on the following points, which one would you choose and why? I tried to be as exhaustive as possible in the description. Thanks to everyone who will give me pointers and suggestions

CLINIC A

Run by just one doctor. Vasectomy method: micro needle for local anesthesia, vasectomy using a scalpel (5 mm incision), cut the vas deferens, remove one part to be sent to the lab, self dissolving ligatures on both sides, cauterization of both sides, fascial interpolation. He will check the wound two days after surgery

Green flags:

- Secretary extremely kind, talkative and helpful

- Doctor is around 50 years old and carries out more than 200 vasectomies a year

- He uses the fascial interpolation method

- He also took a urine sample, presumably to check for STI or other issues (only doctor that went above the standard ultrasound check)

Red flags:

- The doctor told me he will provide me with a three day sick note, despite the fact that the other three doctors all said that this is not possible since a vasectomy is an elective surgery

- He was ever so slightly annoyed by all the questions I asked, even though he was not pushy or anything

- He was dismissive when I asked him if he would also perform no scalpel vasectomy, saying that for a cut of 5 mm there is no difference with the standard method. To my knowledge the traditional scalpel method is much worse in terms of post op pain and complications.

- He said ice after surgery is not important (to my knowledge it is)

CLINIC B

Run by two doctors. Vasectomy method (a bit less clear for me): micro needle for local anesthesia, one single incision in the center (3-5 mm) for the no scalpel method. The vas deferens is severed but a small thread is kept so that it does not detach completely (not sure why), then fulguration of both ends. No ligatures. Advertised failure rate around 0.5% . Will check the wound the day after

Green flags:

- Super super kind, not pushy, he explained everything with no rush whatsoever

- He said during the surgery there will also be no rush, they keep a lot of time between patients so that they can take their time

- Only clinic performing no scalpel vasectomy out of 4 I visited

Red flags:

- Personnel at the counter a bit unfriendly at the beginning

- Coming back the day after for the checkup would be 3 hours by car (I will take a taxi), this might affect the recovery process?

- The doctor was fairly young (35-ish). The other doctor is 50+, I am not sure which one will perform the surgery. He said they perform more than 200 vasectomies a year at the clinic

- He said that chronic pain after the vasectomy can happen and it is a problem for sure, but he also thinks that in some cases it is more of a psychological problem

Sharing my experience for those who may be in a similar situation.

TLDR: The first doctor wanted to do IV sedation in an OR because he had a hard time isolating the vas deferens. I got a second opinion and went with an in-office procedure instead. Overall, all is well, but I did experience some pain.

Backstory:

I'm 5'11", and when I first went to a urologist consultation, I weighed 290 lbs.

I've always been overweight, with various levels of yo-yoing throughout my life. Also, I'm a grower, not a shower, and I'm uncircumcised. I'll also add that I've never had big ol' hanging balls. Mine have always been more secured/tucked in. I've never had a negative comment from any sexual encounters about them being out of the norm or anything, but from watching porn, there are definitely dudes with saddlebags and others with more tucked-in sacks. That's where I fall on the spectrum.

I went to my first consultation for a vasectomy. That doctor had me lie down on the bed and began to feel for my vas deferens on both sides. I want to add that he just had me drop my pants down to my knees while I laid on the bed. I have thick thighs, and it just made everything more compact.

His observations were as follows:

General: Well-developed, well-nourished male in no apparent distress

Penis: Normal glans, normal meatus, normal shaft

Scrotum: Contracted scrotum with large suprapubic adipose pad. Testicles descended bilaterally with no masses. No hernias. Difficult to palpate vasa.

Basically, he had a hard time isolating my vas deferens and stated that I have a FUPA that made it difficult for him to do the procedure in-office, so he recommended doing it in the operating room under IV sedation.

Well, I was hesitant to do it in an OR because logistically, it would require my wife, my 1-year-old, and my 2-year-old to drive me 1.5 hours each way to this doctor's office. The whole vasectomy process would take around 4 hours or so, basically wasting the whole day. Not to mention, the cost would now be my full deductible of $1,500 because it would be done in the OR with anesthesia.

I decided to get a second opinion, though it took a few weeks to be seen by another urologist.

The second consultation came, and I had actually lost some weight by then. I was down 15 lbs, to 275 lbs.

This consultation was with an RN and not the operating doctor. She did her exam while I was standing, and I dropped my pants all the way down to the floor. In this exam, I was able to stand superhero-style and spread my legs a bit.

She was able to isolate my left vas deferens fairly easily. On the right side, she had to move things around a bit. She also mentioned I had a retracted scrotum. In the end, she found what she was looking for.

She scheduled me for an in-office procedure and mentioned that since she wasn't the operating doctor, we had a fallback plan. The operating doctor would reexamine me on the day of the procedure, and if for whatever reason he felt uncomfortable moving forward, he would cancel the procedure before starting and we would consider an OR approach instead. I was good with that, and we moved on.

In the post-consultation document, she noted the following:

PHYSICAL EXAMINATION: GU: uncircumcised, orthotopic meatus, no lesions, retractile testicles 20 mL, scrotal skin thin, vas deferens short and difficult to separate.

The day of the procedure came a month later, which was yesterday as of this post. I'm down another 15 lbs and now weigh 266 lbs.

My experience:

Because of my retracted scrotum, I took some steps to help make sure all went well. I shaved my sack two nights before and touched it up the morning of. I took a hot shower and drove myself to the office, which was about an hour away. I brewed a hot tea to sip on the drive there. I also put some hot water into an empty plastic water bottle and drove with that bottle between my legs to keep the area warm and loose. I also turned on the heated seats in my car for extra heat and comfort.

I was given an antibiotic pill before we got started. I was then led into the procedure room and asked to take my bottoms off and sit on the bed. All my prep work had me super loose, and my sack was dangling. The nurse prepped me by patting the area with a sterile solution and also stuck a grounding plate to my left thigh. She said it was so I didn't get shocked with static electricity, etc. The doctor came in a few moments later.

He began on my right testicle. He grabbed and maneuvered things around a bit. It didn't feel too bad, just minor discomfort similar to the actual consultation exam. Then came the shot. I felt a bit of a pinch, but nothing crazy, just a normal shot feeling. He then did the deed. Again, I felt maneuvering and juggling around, but nothing intolerable. Soon enough, he was done. He did mention that I had very thick tubes and that he had a hard time clamping them with his instrument because they were thicker than the instrument allowed.

On to the left side.

Same thing: maneuvering and juggling around, then came the shot. I felt a pinch again, like the other side. Then he began to work.

This is where I felt major pain. It was an unbearable sharp poking pain. I told him what I felt, and I visibly got flushed, sweaty, and felt like throwing up. He stopped immediately, gave me another shot, and we waited a minute for the anesthesia to kick in fully.

As I was catching my breath, contemplating my life decisions, and even considering quitting and asking him to end it there because I did not want to feel that sharp pain again, I felt him begin to move around and continue the procedure. Thankfully, there was no more pain. He said that sometimes one side is more sensitive than the other and requires a bit more anesthesia, and that it was nothing alarming.

He was done in no time and patched me up. The team left me in the room to gather myself for a few minutes, and then I put my clothes back on and walked back to my car.

When they pulled off that sticky grounding plate from my thigh, that actually hurt a lot lol.

Aside from that short but very sharp pain on my left side, I would say the procedure went well. I was able to walk to the car just fine and even stopped at the grocery store on my way home to pick up a few light items for the toddlers.

Here are the post-procedure notes:

Procedure: A combination of Marcaine and lidocaine without epinephrine were used to anesthetize the skin and perform bilateral spermatic cord blocks. Care was then taken to minimize intravascular injection. Then, using the modified no-scalpel technique, the skin was opened, and the right vas deferens and its sheath were delivered out into the surgical field. The sheath was opened. The vas deferens was isolated with blunt dissection. The vas was cut with iris scissors. 1 cm of the lumen of the abdominal and testicular ends were cauterized. Hemostasis was obtained with delicate electrocautery. The vas deferens was returned into the scrotum. The skin edges were cauterized carefully to obtain hemostasis.

My appointment was at 11:30 a.m., and I was back in my car by 12:20 p.m. For the remainder of the day, I just sat on the couch icing myself. I bought some vasectomy underwear from Amazon that came with two ice packs. I also bought a protective athletic cup because I have two very active toddler boys, and I didn't want to risk an accidental hit.

I showered later that night and lightly rinsed the area. I slept through the night just fine. I am taking ibuprofen to mitigate inflammation and pain as a precaution because I really do not want any discomfort again. I woke up today with no swelling and no pain. Every now and then, I feel a very minor pull if I walk too much, but only if I'm really looking for it.

Needless to say, aside from that pain on the left side before the anesthesia kicked in, I had a good experience with the in-office procedure, and it only cost me a $65 co-pay. I do not regret skipping the OR approach because it would have cost me more money, and going under anesthesia plus the logistics of the day would have been much more of a hassle. I'm glad I got a second opinion and that this doctor was comfortable doing it in-office.

Now I await the final sterility semen analysis in about 3 months.

Had a snip snip through Kaiser roughly 4 weeks ago.

Got cauterized and the doc said he removed extra lengths of tube to avoid recanalization

I didnt ice or take anything outside of reg strength Tylenol. I had some pretty bad kicked in the nuts aching for about 4 days but it was manageable.

Things I did to help mitigate pain:

Walk about 50% speed

Climb the stairs sideways

Bought before the surgery underwear that was 1 size below what I normally wear (compression and athletic briefs)
Eat a ton of food and drink plenty water/electrolytes

Keep a 6 ft pole to bat women away from you.

Sleep with a thick pillow between your legs (I cant sleep on my back, or rather I end up rolling on my side)

Things I did that made it worse:

I played the skin flute in the first week since I was feeling no pain and definitely agitated one of my incision sites. I could have qualified at a marksmanship tournament with that shot. I had no blood in the shot and no discomfort in the nuts, but I also took it very slow and focused as far away from the nuts as possible.

Worked out too soon. I am a glutton for exercise and I love to jump rope, which is a no no no no no (dont do it)

Now:

I am completely healed, even my irritated incision site is just a pink scar.

Ive been able to jerk off and have sex at the same extremes as I did pre-op and I am happy to report no discomfort, pain, or complications, physical or psychological.

Worth it 100%

I’m heading into my appointment. I’m not going to lie, I’ve been thinking the whole drive about backing out. It’s a good thing past me knew this would happen and prepaid for the procedure. If there’s one thing I hate more than anything it’s wasting money.

Just got mine done yesterday. Really did hype it up in my mind for no reason. Post op day 1 just a dull sensation in my groin area. Doctor told me no lifting for 1 full week. I was just curious if I would be able to get back on the treadmill by Monday? I’m pretty active and workout everyday if it’s lifting or cardio. Sitting around is driving me crazy right now.