PHYSICIANS FOREVER

Vasectomy is a surgical process by which sperm is stopped to get into a man’s semen. The vessels that carry sperms from a man’s testicles to his penis are cut, blocked, or sealed by applying heat. This results in the non-fertilization of a woman’s eggs when a man ejaculates because there are no sperms.

Sounds painful? Actually, it carries a little discomfort when local anesthesia is introduced to numb the operational area or when the surgeon handles vas deferens tubes. All in all, there shouldn’t be too much pain. But if you experience some, refer to your doctor immediately.

How to Recover from a Vasectomy?

After you have gone through the whole process, it’s time to have move forward and focus on your recovery from the vasectomy. If you are thinking about going back to work in a couple of days, think again. Because recovering entirely from the procedure may take a little bit longer. Be patient and it will pay in the future.

In the coming next few weeks, it’s better to invest more time and other resources into personal wellbeing and more attention to self-hygiene.

Post-procedure recoveries are nothing to fear about. What made you scared and worried is way past your current situation. Keeping and making the right decisions by going back slowly to your normal life will save you from many troubles.

Below we have listed some practical tips that will help in your successful recovery. Following these tips should keep you from running into post-vasectomy complications. If you have questions at any point during your recovery, don’t hesitate to reach out to your medical professional.

We hope that these tips will help in your swift recovery and get you back in the loop of your normal life as soon as possible.

Here is the rundown on how to recover at home from a vasectomy procedure.

Get Plenty of Rest

This goes true in all cases of post-procedure recoveries. It is the surest way to give your body precious time to recover and heal itself. Immediately after your procedure, you will be resting as much as possible which you should.

A Pro Tip: Try to raise your feet when you lay down. This increases blood flow in your body. Improved blood circulation promotes healing.

The ultimate goal is to keep your feet above the ground as much as possible. So, avoid strenuous activities, such as heavy lifting or carrying, for these crucial days. The more you rest, the merrier for you.

Avoid Infection at All Cost

It is of vital importance to keep your genitalia clean and dry as much as possible because it’s the primary step in recovering fully. If not properly cleaned and taken care of, there is still the chance of getting infected, even if the incision is small.

Again, it is in your best interest to refrain from any physical activity that results in your excessive sweating and irritation, especially seven days after the procedure.

Also, do not think about taking shower or bathing for a day after your surgery. It’s best to take a bath after 48-hours post-op, along with extra care on cleaning and drying your genital area without hurting the delicate regions.

A Pro Tip: Change into a clean pair of underwear once per day. This will surely help in preventing the risk of infection.

Avoid Discomfort

Some discomfort is normal in the days after your procedure, give your condition. It’s perfectly fine if you notice a little swelling or bruising in your scrotum area or some other sensation that you cannot put into words. They may be painful but they are alright and shouldn’t last long. Reach out to your urologist if the feelings of fullness do not go away after a couple of weeks.

There are simple but potent steps that can trigger your recovery from the vasectomy procedure. One of them is putting an icepack at your scrotum to relieve any pain or discomfort due to swelling or bruising. Do not place an icepack continuously but do it sporadically throughout the day. This will surely aid in your fast recovery and numb the pain. Also, keep in mind not to take aspirin or ibuprofen in the first 48 hours of your procedure. Instead of easing your pain, these painkillers are likely to increase the bruising and swelling around your crotch.

Throughout your recovery, we recommend that you wear tight-fitting underwear and shorts. Tight-knitted underwear will provide support to your scrotum and alleviate discomfort. Keep supportive tight-fitting shorts on day and night to help to cope with scrotum pain.

A Pro Tip: Try to keep on a jockstrap or athletic supporters for a week or two after your complete recovery. The support provided by these garments will help you in recovering from the vasectomy process.

Be Sexually Active

That may sound a little strange, but being sexually active after you have a vasectomy procedure will help you a lot in recovering. It is highly recommended by urologists that you wait at least seven days before you start having sex with your partner.

After seven days when you are ready, there are a few things to keep in mind before having intercourse:

Sperm in Your Semen

It is true that the vasectomy procedure has cut the vas deferens which will prevent further sperm forming in your semen, it is a better chance that there will be sperm in your semen. It is in your benefit that you or your partner use some form of contraceptives. Due to the presence of older sperms, there are still fair chances of conception with unprotected sex.

Blood in Your Semen

There are chances that your semen will have blood but it is completely fine. The first few ejaculations, especially, after vasectomy contain blood.

Before abandoning contraceptives for good, you need to consult your urologist and must confirm that your sperm count is zero. This takes us to the final step in the recovery process.

Do You Know? In order to clear your semen completely from sperm, you need to ejaculate at least 20 times.

Your Semen Test Results

Around two months after your vasectomy procedure, your urologist will test your semen to check the presence of sperm in it. If you are lucky, the first test will show zero sperm presence in your semen. In the case of sperm present in your semen in the first test, a second test will be conducted according to the prescription of your urologist.

Once the sperm count is zero in your semen, you can proceed with unprotected sex. At this point, your recovery process has ended. Congratulations!

Complications During Vasectomy Recovery

While we can hope that your recovery process is smooth and seamless, there are a few possible side-effects that can come in your way.

Immediate attention is required from your medical health professional is you experience any of these.

These include:

• Minor pain, numbness, or irritation in your scrotum

• Hematoma formation or bleeding inside the scrotum

• Infection at the incision site.

• A cyst in testicles

• Chronic pain in patients' testicular region, on very rare occasions

In your recovery phase, if you experience chills, lump or swelling in your scrotum, bleeding at the incision or trouble urinating, reach out to your urologist as soon as possible. These complications can extend the recovery process and call for additional treatment and care.

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