Vasectomy/Sterilization
Vasectomy is a minimally invasive technique used for birth control. More than 500,000 men each year have a vasectomy. Outside of abstinence (not having sex), vasectomy is the best birth control method available for male or female. Females can take birth control pills or go thru more invasive medical procedures which can have severe side effects, cause medical and hormonal issues and do not work as well as vasectomy for birth control.
In men, sperm is made in the testicles and travels thru the epididymis, vas deferens and then joins the seminal vesicle to form the ejaculatory duct. Here is where the sperm mix with seminal fluid made in the prostate to become semen. During ejaculation this fluid comes out of the penis which can cause pregnancy. During a vasectomy, the vas deferens is blocked so the sperm can no longer travel to the penis. After a vasectomy, men still have semen (fluid during ejaculation), but no sperm. The body continues to make sperm, but your body absorbs it.
Treatment:
A vasectomy is done in the urologist’s office. Dr. Shaba will either meet with you on a prior date for consultation to discuss the procedure or you can combine the consultation and the procedure on the same day for convenience.
Most vasectomies are done with local anesthesia using a small needle; however we do offer nitrous gas (laughing gas) in addition to this for a small fee if you would like more relaxation. Please let us know if you are interested in the nitrous gas prior to your appointment if possible. We can also do vasectomy under general anesthesia or sedation however this will likely be more expensive depending on your insurance plan. Most vasectomies done in the office are at least partially covered by your insurance plan, however we offer very competitive rates for cash pay patients.
A vasectomy is done thru 2 small openings made in the scrotal skin and closed with stitches that fall off on their own. The procedure itself usually take less than 30 minutes to do, but you will need some down time after the procedure, especially if your job requires lifting or more activity than a desk job. Most vasectomies are scheduled on Fridays, just so that you can have the weekend for down-time. Most men go back to work Monday. Dr. Shaba does offer vasectomies Monday thru Friday if needed.
Dr. Shaba will discuss with you the potential of complication and risks with a vasectomy during your consultation.
One common misconception is that a vasectomy is easily reversible. It is not! To reverse a vasectomy it is a difficult, costly procedure (not covered by insurance) that works only about 50% of the time. Make sure that you are 100% sure you want to go forward with the vasectomy before scheduling.
Dr. Shaba has done thousands of vasectomies over his career. It is the most common procedure he does by far. Please call the office to schedule a consultation and vasectomy today!
For more information please visit: https://www.urologyhealth.org/urology-a-z/v/vasectomy
