Patient Instructions Post Procedure
- On the same day of your vasectomy, you should go home and rest for the remainder of the day after the procedure. Minimize any kind of activity. Some men have no pain at all while many others have mild aches in the groin like being kicked in the nuts or abdomen. The normal healing time after vasectomy ranges from 1 to 3 weeks, with an average of about 14 days.
- You will have only one small wound less than 1 cm after your procedure. It may be anywhere from the base of your penis to anywhere on your scrotum. A thin layer of skin glue is applied and will peel off after just a few hours to a few days. A little bleeding from the wound is normal.
- You may take a daily shower the next day.
- Avoid alcohol for 2 days before and 2 days after your procedure.
- Do not take Aspirin or anticoagulants (blood thinners) for 7 days before and 7 days after your procedure.
- If you cannot stop aspirin or blood thinners, you need to ask your hematologist or GP to send us a letter letting us know if you can stop & when.
- For the first 48 hours, take 2 tablets of extra-strength Tylenol every 6 hours and ice the area regularly (30 min on, 30 min off) whenever you can.
- After 48 hours (on day 3), take 2 tablets of 200mg Ibuprofen (400mg total) every 8 hours no matter how good you feel as this will reduce the post-surgical inflammation. Do this for a minimum of five days. You may continue up to two weeks if desired. If you get side effects, then of course stop the pills.
- For the first week, avoid sex, physical labor or any exercise. Also avoid lifting more than 15 lbs (including babies or children) in the first week. After one week, when pain and tenderness are minimal, you may return to your usual activity starting at ½ the intensity of your usual workout.
- It is normal to have some discoloration of the skin (blue and black) around the puncture site a few days after your vasectomy. This will gradually go away.
- Some men will develop swelling and tenderness on one side or both after a few days or up to 3 months after a vasectomy. This is usually due to an exaggerated inflammatory response that is often normal and necessary for sperm recycling and re-absorption. It is managed effectively with Ibuprofen 600mg 3 times a day for 7 days. You might also notice a lump on each side of your scrotum (sometimes up near the abdomen or pelvis) after your vasectomy for the next few weeks – that is the surgical site where we cut and sealed your vas. It usually feels like a knot the size of a pea and may swell to the size of a marble and be tender for a few weeks after the procedure but then becomes smaller and non-tender.
- At 3 months, conduct your semen analysis as outlined below. Call Lifelabs two months in advance to book your test. Continue birth control until our doctors review your test result. Call Pollock Clinics 5 days after your test to go over the results of your semen analysis together. Most men are cleared after 1 test however some men will take longer than 3 months.
- You will want to achieve 20 ejaculations within the first three months of your vasectomy to flush out the existing sperm in your reproductive tract.
