Leveling of Expectations: What Happens in the Operation?

Men thinking about getting his fertility back often have questions at the back of their minds. Will vasectomy reversal hurt? What kind of procedures will be done? How long can they get back the bedroom, and pro-create? These questions are valid of course, knowing the fact that this procedure is complicated and not all attempts are successful.

Vasectomy reversal is simply undoing what vasectomy has earlier done. The intent of the procedure is to reconnect the tube that carries the sperm coming from the testicles into the semen of the person. Once the connection has been made, sperm is present again in the system. The process of reconnecting the vas deferens may be simple to imagine but in actual procedure, careful planning must come into play. And the attending doctor must ensure a number of things in order to set the procedure right.

What to expect during the actual procedure

Surprisingly, this procedure is often done on an out-patient basis. Thanks to the advancement in technologies, the procedure has been made effective in such a way that the patient will is not expected to be confined in the hospital. To set the tone of the procedure, the patient will be administered with a general anesthetic in order to make the patient unconscious during the entire procedure. There is another form of anesthesia used, and this time the patient has the option that allows for the patient to be awake but still pain is warded off. Some of the most popular anesthesia used for this purpose includes the epidural, the spinal or the local anesthetic.

Two specific surgeries are in play

There are two special ways on how the reversal is performed. The first one is through vasovasostomy. Under this procedure, the attending doctor will sew back together the cut ends of the tube that carries the sperm. The other option is through vasoepididymostomy. Considered more complex, this is only done when vasovasostomy cannot be done. Either way, vasectomy reversal is a delicate and complicated process thus this requires special skills from the doctor. There will be times when both these two surgeries are performed on the person. And normally, the decision on what procedure to use is often made prior to the start of the actual operation.
Doing the actual operation.

The actual operation requires the doctor to make a small incision on the underside of the scrotum of the patient. The intent is to expose the testicles. Once done, the tube that carries the sperm will be cut and the fluid found inside will be examined. The doctor will look for clues if indeed the person carries health sperm. If positive, the doctor will then proceed to cover the incision through the use of the bandage. And to protect the scrotum, doctors often advise the wearing of the jockstrap right after the operation. Hours after the operation, it will be advised to apply pressure on the area in order to reduce the swelling. Complete rest is suggested once at home, and an ice pack is often suggested as the agent that will be used to reduce or manage the swelling. As the anesthesia begins to wear off, it can be expected that pain will be present. But this will remain only for a few days, and after such time the feeling gets better.