Vasectomy

The vasectomy is performed by 2 general practitioners, according to a set protocol, under local anaesthesia. After covering the lower body, with a sterile hole cloth, the scrotum is disinfected with Betadine iodine. Of course, you should not touch the cloth or the disinfected area during the procedure. To the left and right, the skin of the scrotum is numbed with injections. This is the sensitive part of the vasectomy. After the skin has been anaesthetised, the vas deferens are fixed, after which a small incision exposes the vas deferens and they can be pulled free from their membranes. Then a piece, of about 1 cm, is removed from the vas deferens and the stump left behind is burned shut and tied off.

This prevents the sperm cells from reaching the seminal fluid and thus prevents fertilisation from taking place. Please note; you will not be sterile immediately after the procedure. Sexual function is not affected by this, nor is the amount of sperm during orgasm. The suture should be removed after about a week. You can do this yourself or your own GP; we can of course do it for you. The whole procedure normally takes 30 minutes. As the vas deferens run through the inguinal canal and lower abdomen, you may sometimes feel a slight pulling sensation in that region during the operation.

It is important for you to realise that a vasectomy is a definitive procedure and the chances of success in recovery surgery are slim.

To reduce the risk of post-operative haemorrhage, wear tight underwear or old-fashioned swimming trunks after the operation, and we advise you not to do any heavy physical work or sport for a week. It is also advisable not to swim or take a bath while the stitches are in your scrotum, although you can take a shower after 24 hours. When the anaesthetic wears off, you may feel a slight wound pain, which can almost always be controlled with a paracetamol. A temporary bluish discolouration of your scrotum, up to the penis, is common, this is nothing to worry about. If you feel too much pain after the procedure, if fluid comes out of the stitched incisions, if you develop a high fever (above 38.5) or if your scrotum swells, please contact us immediately. Fortunately, this happens very rarely.

After the vasectomy, you are not immediately sterile: the sperm cells that are still "on the way" still need to be discharged. It usually takes about 20 sperm discharges to achieve this, although sometimes it can take even longer. You will be given a laboratory form and a sperm jar after the procedure, to hand in freshly discharged sperm.

PLEASE NOTE: The submission of your sperm is by appointment only on Tuesday mornings or Thursday mornings. We ask you to contact the laboratory administration in advance to schedule an appointment. The customer contact centre can be reached at telephone number 088-0037735. Here, you can then indicate that you will hand in the semen at the Amstelveen location.

You are not sterile until your sperm check meets the international postvasectomy guideline. Your GP will receive a report of the procedure and the results of the sperm check. Despite vasectomy being a certain form of definitive contraception, no complete guarantee of sterility can be given. In about 0.03% of cases, it happens that the man does become fertile again. In case of doubt, or unease, about this, you can of course always, through your own GP, request a recheck after a few months.

You will be given these immediately after the procedure.

If you are unable to attend due to some unforeseen circumstance, please call the practice as soon as possible and we may be able to help someone else in your place. Appointments can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours in advance.

You can contact the assistant by phone to make an appointment for vasectomy to be scheduled. This can be done on weekdays between 08.00-11.00 by calling Dr Borstlap's practice on 0297-566353