Are there risks to my health or sex life after vasectomy?

Although safe and effective, vasectomy does come with health risks of which you should be aware. It should not affect your sex life.

Vasectomy health risks include:

Infection: This is always a possibility for any kind of surgery but can be easily treated with antibiotics.

Bleeding: In rare cases, a small blood vessel can bleed inside the scrotum and cause a blot clot (called a haematoma). This can lead to severe swelling and discomfort, and is often the result of too much strenuous activity after your operation. Marie Stopes Centre would provide aftercare in this instance.

Pain: A small number of men have been known to experience long term testicular pain following a vasectomy, which may require follow-up treatment. However, we stress that in over 140,000 vasectomies performed at our centres, we have seen very few cases of this kind.

There may be other risks if you have a health problem already but this will be assessed during your initial consultation.

Will vasectomy lower my sex drive?

Vasectomy does not affect your hormones, ejaculation or orgasm so there is no reason why it should have a negative impact on your sex life. In fact, many couples find having a vasectomy improves their sex life - enjoying greater sexual freedom once they no longer have the worry of an unplanned pregnancy.