It’s important to wear an athletic supporter after the proceedure. To reduce swelling, use an ice pack on your scrotum. Usually you need to wait 48 hours before bathing and avoid heavy lifting or exercise for at least one week. To relieve any discomfort, Tylenol is recommended; do not take aspirin or ibuprofen. Stay off your feet as much as possible for the first 2 days; lying down is suggested.

Sterility
It can take numerous ejaculations before there is no active sperm in your semen. You need to use other birth control during this time to prevent pregnancy. After 20 ejaculations, the doctor will ask you to collect a sample of semen at home and bring it in to a lab to be checked under a microscope. Until this sample shows no indication of sperm, you are not sterile.

Complications
As with any surgical procedure there are always some risks. These can include bleeding, infection or inflamation. Sometimes a small granuloma a harmless lump, may develop. In rare cases the vas deferens reconnects itself warranting a routine post-procedure semen analysis. After your surgery, if you experience swelling, increasing pain in the scrotum, black and blue areas, lump, fever, chills, redness, or trouble urinating, call your doctor immediately.

Sex after a vasectomy
After your vasectomy, the portions of the vas tubes within the pelvis still contain live sperm. About 95 percent of men are sperm free after 20 ejaculations and 8 weeks. In 5 percent of men, the semen may still contain some sperm (usually few in number and not active) for months, so it is important to have a semen sample checked and to use other forms of birth control until it is confirmed by microscopic examination that the semen is sperm free.

A vasectomy does not affect your ability to have sex, erections, or orgasms. It does not change the visual appearance of semen. Nor does a vasectomy cause health problems related to the prostate or heart. Your sex drive will not be affected by a vasectomy. Your hormone levels remain the same.

Having a vasectomy is a decision that should be well thought out. It ends your ability to father a child. It’s not a decision one should make under stress. Keep in mind that a vasectomy will not protect a person from sexually transmitted diseases.