# Ask the guy recovering from a vasectomy **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 9, 2011, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-recovering-from-a-vasectomy/599057 "2011-10-09T05:51:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-recovering-from-a-vasectomy/599057/21 "2011-10-10T00:30:30Z")
Welcome to the Order of the Navel Orange. Our motto is: “All juice and no seeds!” ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-recovering-from-a-vasectomy/599057/22 "2011-10-10T01:35:01Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > I obviously can’t personally testify yet, but from what I’ve read online, it’s not supposed to. I…um…don’t know if I’d paid so much attention in life that a distinction would be immediately apparent to me. Well, I’ve paid attention to this, and can attest that in my husband’s case, appearance, viscosity, and taste are identical, before and after. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-recovering-from-a-vasectomy/599057/23 "2011-10-10T01:38:22Z")
Why not have her get Essure instead? ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-recovering-from-a-vasectomy/599057/24 "2011-10-10T02:10:08Z")
> [@Drain\_Bead](#): > > Why not have her get Essure instead? I’m the one that doesn’t want to get anyone pregnant. It was simple enough to take matters into my own hands, as it were. If, as she put it, she were to get hit by a bus tomorrow, and I ultimately found another partner, I would not have to worry about a new person’s birth control choices. That being said, I don’t know anyone personally who has gone through the Essure procedure, but it seems effective, and I certainly wouldn’t object if she opted to go that route for herself. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-recovering-from-a-vasectomy/599057/25 "2011-10-10T03:03:42Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > I’m the one that doesn’t want to get anyone pregnant. That’s it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Naxos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/50afbb/32.png) [@Naxos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Naxos)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-recovering-from-a-vasectomy/599057/26 "2011-10-10T03:10:36Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > Ask away! Is marriage a social contract? If it was up to me, you wouldn’t have to go thru this. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-recovering-from-a-vasectomy/599057/27 "2011-10-10T03:30:20Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > I’m lying in bed, approximately 36 hours after the completion of my snipping, with a bag of frozen peas and carrots resting comfortably on my crotch. Seriously??? 36 hours after mine I flew to Vegas to play Black Jack with a friend of mine. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-recovering-from-a-vasectomy/599057/28 "2011-10-10T03:38:21Z")
> [@Naxos](#): > > Is marriage a social contract? > > If it was up to me, you wouldn’t have to go thru this. There is nothing to go through. It was hardly sore, and I am responsible for not making anyone pregnant. Besides, children cramp my style. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-recovering-from-a-vasectomy/599057/29 "2011-10-10T03:40:18Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > One of the many perks of being a gay man is never having to go through with this procedure 😃 > [@Asimovian](#): > > I am still working on a snappy comeback. I’ll let you know when I think of something. 😉 Well, there’s this: One-frame cartoon I saw once (think it was in one of those dirty-joke-a-day calendars): Two elderly men in jail cell, one sitting on bed, one chalking up another obligatory tally mark on the wall. Elderly man sitting on bed says: “The one thing I regret, Spike, is that we never had children.” ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-recovering-from-a-vasectomy/599057/30 "2011-10-10T17:42:22Z")
> [@Larry\_Mudd](#): > > From the “…but were to afraid to ask” department: Will your semen _look_ any different? > > Our second and final kid has just arrived, and so I’m up next for the snip - just as soon as I book the appointment. Not worried about discomfort at all, but have an irrational concern that post-vasectomy semen might be similar in some way to prepubescent sperm-free semen. (Rationally am fairly confident that if this were so we’d hear more about it.) This Halloween will mark 25 years since mine, and no difference. No peas and carrots for me - we can afford ice packs in my house. Very little discomfort. The only negative in my experience was that one of the doctors doing the procedure chose to wear vampire fangs which was a bit disturbing. BTW, we found not having to worry about birth control was a big plus. My wife liked IUDs, but there was an IUD scare back then and they were almost impossible to get in the US. After our second kid was born we were thinking about going to Denmark to get one inserted, but we decided a vasectomy was better. We spent the money we saved on a cruise in the southern Caribbean instead. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-recovering-from-a-vasectomy/599057/31 "2011-10-10T20:25:58Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Well, I’ve paid attention to this, and can attest that in my husband’s case, appearance, viscosity, and taste are identical, before and after. > > Carry on. My wife reported the same findings following my procedure 8 years ago. I had mine done on a Friday afternoon, and the rest of that day I was a little uncomfortable. Saturday I just took things easy, Sunday was a normal Sunday, and Monday I was back at work. Tuesday, after assuring my wife that I felt ready, she gave me a test drive. I’ve never looked back. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-recovering-from-a-vasectomy/599057/32 "2011-10-10T20:28:06Z")
> [@corkboard](#): > > Tuesday, after assuring my wife that I felt ready, she gave me a test drive. I’ve never looked back. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-recovering-from-a-vasectomy/599057/33 "2011-10-11T23:51:26Z")
> [@LH75](#): > > Welcome to the Order of the Navel Orange. Our motto is: “All juice and no seeds!” Heh. Funkist. ---
**Author:** ![raskolnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e47c2d/32.png) [@raskolnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raskolnik)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-recovering-from-a-vasectomy/599057/34 "2011-10-12T13:31:59Z")
I’ve got mild CMT and am thinking about getting one. Problem is I’m only 26. I have no desire to breed, and I remember my infant brother screaming for a month after his joint surgery so he’d walk better. My mom is on a cane and enough pain killers to knock people out. Since it’s a 50% chance per CHILD I think I should get cut. What do you think? _CMT is hereditary neuropathy_ ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-recovering-from-a-vasectomy/599057/35 "2011-10-12T14:02:32Z")
It’s been over 20 years so my memory might be wrong but… You need to have a few orgasms prior to the test to “flush” the system. I was concerned so I popped a pain pill and gave it a test drive the next day. If possible avoid having your partner make queries about how you feel during the act - it can be distracting. Most people can be moderately active almost immediately. The bed rest is recommended because most complications arise as a result of being overly active. It is really a risk mitigation thing. Because I was in a military clinic (not allowed to sue being on active duty), they wanted my wife’s signature on a form acknowledging risks. I drove myself home after the procedure in a car with a manual transmission. I agree that the worst part is the momentary pain when they use the needle to numb the area. Mentally, seeing the smoke rise when they cauterized the ends was “interesting”. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-recovering-from-a-vasectomy/599057/36 "2011-10-12T14:27:59Z")
Before you did it, did you have a natural leg crossing reflex to thinking about it? How did you get past it? Or did you never have a brain-squeezing, gut-tightening, leg-crossing, penis-hiding reaction to the thought of a vasectomy? ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-recovering-from-a-vasectomy/599057/37 "2011-10-12T16:26:12Z")
> [@tim-n-va](#): > > I drove myself home after the procedure in a car with a manual transmission. > > I agree that the worst part is the momentary pain when they use the needle to numb the area. Mentally, seeing the smoke rise when they cauterized the ends was “interesting”. I also drove myself home in a stick. Maybe not the wisest decision in the world, but both of the cars we own are manual, and my only other option was my motorcycle, which I assumed would be a bad idea! And yes, I actually joked with my doctor about watching smoke rising from my crotch as it was happening. He said that he had once done a fireman and felt the need to warn him to please not jump up to put out any fires. 😃 > [@bup](#): > > Before you did it, did you have a natural leg crossing reflex to thinking about it? How did you get past it? > > Or did you never have a brain-squeezing, gut-tightening, leg-crossing, penis-hiding reaction to the thought of a vasectomy? You know, in years past, when vasectomies were a vague concept that had nothing to do with me, I’d have that sort of cringe reaction. But once I was seriously considering it for myself, I didn’t find myself at all concerned about the physical aspect of the procedure. I was hoping that I wouldn’t be incapacitated the whole weekend, but I never had the “OH MY GOD SOMEONE’S PUTTING A KNIFE NEAR MY PENIS!!!” worries. OK, that’s partially a lie. During my consultation visit, both my fiancee and I noticed – independently of one another – that my doctor has very, VERY thick glasses. Like, it felt like you were looking at his eyes through a magnifying glass. So, there were definitely a couple of jokes made about hoping the right things get cut. But I was never seriously in any fear. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-recovering-from-a-vasectomy/599057/38 "2011-10-12T16:43:57Z")
Having had a vasectomy are you even still a guy? As a fellow traveler I can say this. I hope. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-recovering-from-a-vasectomy/599057/39 "2011-10-12T17:46:20Z")
> [@Larry\_Mudd](#): > > From the “…but were to afraid to ask” department: Will your semen _look_ any different? No, it doesn’t. Unless, of course, you look at it under a microscope. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-recovering-from-a-vasectomy/599057/40 "2011-10-12T19:03:05Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Before you did it, did you have a natural leg crossing reflex to thinking about it? How did you get past it? > > Or did you never have a brain-squeezing, gut-tightening, leg-crossing, penis-hiding reaction to the thought of a vasectomy? Hopefully the OP doesn’t mind me offering my response- if so, my apologies. I had no squeamish reflex ahead of time. I had read about it on the ethertubes, knew that it had nothing to do with my actual testes (procedurally, at least), and that it just involved a rather painless snip & removal of part of the vas deferens. Eh, harmless. Afterward, I was talking to some friends my age who basically knew nothing about what the procedure involved, and had a surprising lack of understanding about it. They thought everything from I wouldn’t be able to ejaculate any longer, to not being able to get an erection. 😕 We were raised in the same town, went to the same high school, and were exposed to the same things. How could your understanding of this be so off the mark? Physiologically, there is absolutely no difference in my ability to do any of those things now than before the procedure. The only difference there is, is that I can’t father any children. Just the way I like it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-recovering-from-a-vasectomy/599057.md?page=1)