After a vasectomy, it’s important to understand what to expect during the recovery period and beyond.
Driving
We do not recommend driving yourself home immediately after the vasectomy and will not allow you to drive yourself if you receive any sedation from us. Sedatives will impair your reflexes and make you a driving danger to yourself and others. Please make arrangements BEFORE you arrive at your appointment.
Post-procedure Care
Take things easy for a day or so, and wear a supportive jockstrap as much as possible. Also, ice (especially in the first 24 hours) alleviates swelling to a great extent.
Post-vasectomy pain
Although many men have no symptoms after their vasectomy some may experience a dull ache in their groin or a sharp pain in the scrotum. The dull ache in the groin is due to referred pain from irritation of nerves that lie near the vas deferens. A jockstrap will take tension off of these nerves and reduce your discomfort. We do not routinely recommend narcotics be taken after a vasectomy to prevent the risk of respiratory complications or constipation. Ibuprofen or Tylenol are safe to take after your vasectomy for pain control.
You should call Dr. Mistry if you feel that your pain is worse than you expected.
Purpose of the Jockstrap
Jockstraps are designed to support the scrotum and keep the testicles from hanging too heavily on the cord that supports them. By reducing the tension in the testicular cord, pain in the testicle and groin is greatly reduced. Tight fitting briefs do not generally work as well as a jockstrap. You will not need a cup in your jockstrap. You may find the need to wear the jockstrap all day. You can stop when you no longer have any testicular or groin discomfort.
Exercise
It is not a good idea to go running, cycling or weightlifting immediately after your procedure. You should walk and will be fine to walk up stairs. It is recommended that you take it easy for a couple of days so you can recover as quickly as possible.
Time Off
The vast majority of our patients have their procedure performed on a Friday and return to work on Monday. We recommend waiting at least one day after the procedure before you return to any work that requires lifting or prolonged standing or squatting. We have had men who returned to their office job immediately after their procedure and one patient who even went tractor riding later in the day. We do NOT recommend tractor riding or deer hunting immediately after the procedure.
Bruising
Some men report little or no swelling and bruising, but if you do have bruising of the skin or swelling of the testicle consider applying ice, wearing a jockstrap and taking it easy from an activity standpoint. Mild bruising or swelling should resolve in 7 days. If you have any symptoms that appear several days after your procedure, contact Dr. Mistry immediately.
Sex
You can resume normal sexual activity as soon as you feel comfortable. Some men may report pain at their vasectomy site with ejaculation, but this type of discomfort should not persist. Please remember that you are still capable of getting your partner pregnant until all of the sperm are ejaculated from the vas deferens. This can take several weeks to occur and should be confirmed before you stop using contraception. This can be done through semen samples viewed in the office, recommended at 6 and 10 weeks after the procedure, or with an at-home testing kit, at the same time points.