# Men with Vasectomies - Pain? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 12, 2012, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-with-vasectomies-pain/637532 "2012-10-12T16:57:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-with-vasectomies-pain/637532/41 "2012-10-15T16:06:43Z")
> [@corkboard](#): > > During that time, my wife employed other means to get the job done. Yeah, I used the ol’ _“Doctor’s orders”_ ploy on my wife as well. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kiber](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kiber/32/317_2.png) [@Kiber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiber)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-with-vasectomies-pain/637532/42 "2012-10-16T20:12:15Z")
No pain for me, beyond a few days of soreness. But nothing compared to the benefits. Although I would recommend going back to get the post-procedure analyses done as outlined by your doctor (I have several friends who skipped this). My doctor required 2 separate samples to insure complete sterility. However, my first sample wasn’t completely dead, so I had to go back 2 more times. I hated it at the time, but it was worth it to be sure. ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-with-vasectomies-pain/637532/43 "2012-10-16T22:03:33Z")
I had an experimental vasectomy (to be used in the field/3rd world with bad sterile conditions and no real surgery possibilities) the first time and it failed. The regular vasectomy that followed afterwards just had a lot of additional complications and pain but I think that was actually due to their trying to figure out why the first one failed. But pain from both was gone within a week. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-with-vasectomies-pain/637532/44 "2012-10-16T22:05:35Z")
I’ve had a vasectomy for about six years now, and I’ve never experienced any pain or discomfort since the first couple of days, and even that wasn’t too bad. ---
**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 16, 2012, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-with-vasectomies-pain/637532/45 "2012-10-16T22:06:38Z")
> [@Disheavel](#): > > I had an experimental vasectomy (to be used in the field/3rd world with bad sterile conditions and no real surgery possibilities) the first time and it failed. The regular vasectomy that followed afterwards just had a lot of additional complications and pain but I think that was actually due to their trying to figure out why the first one failed. > But pain from both was gone within a week. I’m not going to lie; I cringed mightily at the phrase “experimental vasectomy.” ---
**Author:** ![markdash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@markdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markdash)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-with-vasectomies-pain/637532/46 "2012-10-17T00:17:23Z")
My vasectomy was, according to my doctor, quite difficult. Due to my particular anatomy he was unable to cut my right vas in the “normal” fashion (by pulling it out a bit, cutting off a segment, then sealing both ends); he had to make two incisions in separate locations and hope that did the trick. (It did.) It may have been because of this that I had some medium-term discomfort. There was the usual soreness for about a week after the procedure, but even after that I had some lingering discomfort (pain is not the right term for it, really) in the upper part of my scrotum (where the incisions were made). This lasted for about 6 months. My procedure was in late March and it finally went away in about mid-September. Despite all this it was well worth it. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-with-vasectomies-pain/637532/47 "2012-10-17T00:24:08Z")
> [@markdash](#): > > Due to my particular anatomy he was unable to cut … I was in the urologist’s office, gallantly reading a copy of _The New Yorker_, as my outpatient vasectomy was undertaken. At a certain point, he stopped and said he wouldn’t be able to do it under local anesthesia. The words “vericocele” and “terrible pain” were used. I wound up having it done under general anesthesia. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-with-vasectomies-pain/637532/48 "2012-10-17T03:05:47Z")
Okay. I’ll be the one… I had mine done 8 years ago, and HAVE had recurring pain, at the site of the vasectomy. Fairly unpleasant from time to time. (A dull-to-sharp ache on the side, at the surgical site.) It seems to be exacerbated sometimes by physical activity without proper support (i.e., not wearing snug-fitting undies/or a jock strap). That said, despite the pain, it was totally worth it. My wife and I knew early on that we didn’t want kids, and I honestly wish I had done it 5 or 6 years earlier. FYI, my doctor both cauterized and attached metal clips. ---
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-with-vasectomies-pain/637532/49 "2013-10-17T20:34:35Z")
So: update on my final experience for anyone else with the same initial concerns as I had when I made the thread. My son was born in June (and is doing wonderfully). I had my vasectomy in August. Some minor aches for a few weeks after the initial recovery, but nothing bad. My incision did get infected when the stitches got caught up in the healing, but that was fixed in two days after antibiotics. Since mid-September, I’ve felt exactly the same as I did before the procedure. Just got the ‘all clear’ today, so yay for that! Thanks everyone for your responses (even though it was a year ago)…helped assuage my fears. ---
**Author:** ![OurLordPeace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e8c25b/32.png) [@OurLordPeace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OurLordPeace)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-with-vasectomies-pain/637532/50 "2013-10-17T22:33:48Z")
> [@Arrendajo](#): > > No long term pain, no short term pain – as others have said I would describe it as discomfort for a few days, easily controlled by standard pain meds. And the improvement in my sex life made it worthwhile totally. My wife couldn’t take birth control pills, so it was pretty much condoms or nothing for us. Until the vasectomy. Then it was catch as catch can. What about a non-hormonal IUD? Anyway, I had mine done back in January. My experience during and after the procedure was one of minimal pain and discomfort. A couple of times during the procedure I had to inform the doctor and nurse that I could indeed feel the ache as they tugged on something. Afterwards, I took it easy, alternating application of frozen vegetables. I feel almost nothing now. I wanted to mention my post-op semen harvesting. It was the best kind of medical appointment! Low light, gnaughahyde couch, and a wide variety of what one might call pornography. I appreciated the variety of material, because frankly I don’t much care for hardcore. I flipped through a Playboy College Girls publication, saw someone from my much-loathed alma mater, thought “nah,” and kept on flipping. They permit one’s partner to accompany one into the room, but sadly I did not have one of those. I also wondered, but forgot to ask, why they didn’t do a test before the vasectomy, since there is always the possibility that one might be sterile anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-with-vasectomies-pain/637532/51 "2013-10-17T22:37:14Z")
I had some pretty horrific short term complications due to an infection, but no long term pain. ---
**Author:** ![Obnoxious\_Hood\_Ornament](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3be4f8/32.png) [@Obnoxious\_Hood\_Ornament](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obnoxious_Hood_Ornament)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-with-vasectomies-pain/637532/52 "2013-10-18T12:42:43Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Nah. > > For about two years afterward, on _rare_ occasions (meaning, maybe seven times over the course of two years), I would get a sharp pain lasting less than a second in the general region of my nuts. Other than that, nothing. > > It’s been almost a decade now and I feel nothing. This mirrors my own experience. I spent about a week recovering from the surgery, but I had a urologist go in and do a thorough job massacring the highway so the little guys would never get back to work 😃 Truly, one of the better decisions I’ve ever made. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-with-vasectomies-pain/637532/53 "2013-10-18T13:42:14Z")
32 years, no long-term pain. Short-term wasn’t that bad, but I was on painkillers. ---
**Author:** ![Blank\_shooter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Blank\_shooter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blank_shooter)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-with-vasectomies-pain/637532/54 "2014-04-27T20:42:34Z")
☹ I had a versectomy yesterday and at first I felt no after aches or pains but earlier on oday It started with a dull ache but as the days progressed the pain has increased. I now in so much agony my legs have gone completely weak and I’m literally tingling from head to toe, I feel like I’m on the verge of passing out ☹ Surely this shouldn’t be happening this bad, I’m not sure what to do. Any suggestions or advice I’m desperate ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-with-vasectomies-pain/637532/55 "2014-04-27T20:58:47Z")
Talk to your doctor now, like right this minute. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Blank\_shooter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Blank\_shooter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blank_shooter)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-with-vasectomies-pain/637532/56 "2014-04-27T20:59:51Z")
I had a versectomy yesterday and at first I felt no after aches or pains but earlier on oday It started with a dull ache but as the days progressed the pain has increased. I now in so much agony my legs have gone completely weak and I’m literally tingling from head to toe, I feel like I’m on the verge of passing out Surely this shouldn’t be happening this bad, I’m not sure what to do. Any suggestions or advice I’m desperate ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-with-vasectomies-pain/637532/57 "2014-04-27T21:12:07Z")
> [@Blank\_shooter](#): > > I had a versectomy yesterday and at first I felt no after aches or pains but earlier on oday It started with a dull ache but as the days progressed the pain has increased. I now in so much agony my legs have gone completely weak and I’m literally tingling from head to toe, I feel like I’m on the verge of passing out > Surely this shouldn’t be happening this bad, I’m not sure what to do. Any suggestions or advice I’m desperate Call your doctor-_now_. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-with-vasectomies-pain/637532/58 "2014-04-27T21:13:17Z")
stop typing and see a doctor. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-with-vasectomies-pain/637532/59 "2014-04-27T21:25:23Z")
\*\*go to the emergency room now! see a doctor! now!\*\* ---
**Author:** ![Blank\_shooter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Blank\_shooter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blank_shooter)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-with-vasectomies-pain/637532/60 "2014-04-27T22:09:06Z")
:eek: thanks for the advice guys but it’s 11pm here in the UK and I’ve no way of getting to the hospital which is almost 10 miles away ☹ Any other ideas as this is unbearable [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-with-vasectomies-pain/637532.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-with-vasectomies-pain/637532.md?page=4)