I’m a man, and I had a vasectomy. Being the weird dude that I am, I actually peeked over the screen and watched the procedure, much to my urologists annoyance (he really doesn’t want a guy to flinch at the wrong moment). It’s been a while though (about 10 years) since I had the procedure, so my recollection may be faulty in a couple of details.
The procedure itself is simple and relatively painless. First, he injects a local anesthetic into the scrotum and makes an incision. He reaches in with a hooked probe and exposes a loop of the vas deferens through the incision. He cuts the loop, and cauterizes each end so they won’t spontaneously reattach. He returns the vas to the scrotum and sutures the incision. He then repeats the procedure on the other side of the scrotum for the vas deferens coming from the other testicle.
The most common side effect is bleeding from the incision in the scrotum. Since the scrotum doesn’t have a particularly lush blood supply, it tends to heal relatively slowly.
I was fortunate that I was in a situation where I could stay off my feet for a week, and I really didn’t have any serious complications. I didn’t have any need for ice or frozen peas, but YMMV.
One of my friends, however, who was somewhat impatient had some bleeding into the scrotum which had to be drained. But if you take it easy this sort of side effect is relatively rare.
The purpose of the vasectomy is to block the transport of the sperm from the testes to rest of the male reproductive apparatus. AFAIK, sperm production by the testes continues, but I have a vague memory that there may be some decline after the procedure. In any case, there is no effect on the production or delivery of testosterone or other hormones, as the testes are ductless glands.
There is no noticible change in the ejaculate after a vasectomy. The sperm themselves form an insigificant percentage of the ejaculate, which is primarily trasport fluid produced by the seminal vesicles and the prostate, which are “downstream” from the vasectomy.
In the ten years I’ve been sterile, I’ve never regretted my decision, either medically or related to my lifestyle.
Standard disclaimer: you should consult a licensed urologist for accurate medical advice regarding a vasectomy.
If Cecil Adams did not exist, we would be obliged to create Him.