Vasectomies- What are people's experiences?

[Rorymum]

Hi all, my husband is considering a vasectomy. What can we expect? Have they worked for everyone? Thank you!

Following
I want my OH to have one, but he is convinced it will take away his roar (fucking idiot)

My husband had his a few years ago now and all went well.
It was carried out at our local gp surgery. In and out within a couple of hours. Painless and stitch free. No issues after.

Throughly research it. It doesn’t always work out well, sadly.

Following. We are in a similar situation and yes @Gloopy my DH thinks the same

My husband had one recently, quick, no stitches, he was a bit achy for a few days. No big deal (his words).

My husband had one about 7 or 8 years ago, his was painful as he has unusual anatomy apparently but he said uncomfortable rather than ouchy painful, it has not dampened his ardour at all, he had 2 days off work as it involved lots of movent, everything works as it should just no fear of pregnancy and I could come of birth control as the pill gave me migraines, he had it done at the local cottage hospital, was out in under two hours including waiting time.

My DH had his 10days after our DD was born. I waited in the car for him and he was gone less than an hour. A bit sore afterwards but no issues and back to work after 3 days.

Thank you for your replies. Yogagirl do you mind me asking how it didn't end well? Gloopy that made me laugh so hard!

Both my husbands have had vasectomies. Both found them pretty painful, especially the local anaesthetic injection, and needed full painkiller coverage for a few days. No longterm problems for either and absolutely brilliant for us as contraception.

However, the NHS web site now has an outcome of longterm pain/complications at 10%. This is a horrifying level and I would not have been happy for either to go ahead if I had known that. We might have tried a surgeon who was willing to give us their own complication figures, but the prospect of longterm pain from this is so awful it might have put us off completely.

DH had his when our last child was about a year. Healed quickly & no problems or issues.

I was about to quote the 10% figure. It put us off entirely.

DH was one of the 10%

Terrible bruising, infections, cysts, swelling, ongoing pain.

Someone I know of had serious complications, sepsis, was very lucky to pull through, while I realise many have no problems at all, it’s important to be aware of possible complications.

@annandale and other PPs I've just told my DH about this and it's completely put us off! I had no idea the risk of complications was so high.

Ah well looks like I'm sticking to the pill for the next 20 years...

My DH had his 8 years ago. He recovered quickly but still has ongoing mild pain. Poor lamb!!!

Luckily DH had severe gastrenteritis night after his vasectomy, took his mind off it beautifully...
Anyway complete non event as far as he was concerned though he did notice smell of burning. It had no effect on his personality or our love life because it doesnt affect the hormonal system

DH had his at Marie Stopes. Easy surgery compared to my 2 caesarians - in his words!! He has no ongoing pain or issues whatsoever.

Me on the other hand - adhesions that cause painful cramps at various stages of my cycle. Pain behind one corner of my scar where something pinches. I guess what I'm trying to say is that no surgery is risk-free but for some reason, it's OK for a bloke to avoid a vasectomy because of the 'risk' yet women are expected to just suck up any painful or life altering complications from child birth.

Yes, 90% of men will be totally fine or have only 'minor' complications - ie those that last less than 3 weeks or so.

The 10% figure (which is research based) covers the serious complications (those which require major intervention such as further surgery, or which cause severe pain which lasts over 3 months and which may be untreatable, though reversal and de-nervation might both be attempted). If you read non-NHS sites, you need to check exactly which complications are included in their complications figures, as some are more limited (this giving a lower figure) or include more of the shorter-lasting, responsive to treatment, conditions thus giving a higher one.

DH had one and was fine, but it took over a year for his samples to test clear.

"but for some reason, it's OK for a bloke to avoid a vasectomy because of the 'risk' yet women are expected to just suck up any painful or life altering complications from child birth"

The main reason is that childbirth is inevitable if you want DC, and so people have to go ahead even when you know that there is a complications rate.

Whereas there are other forms of contraception than surgery, and as men are not doing this for their own bodily benefit, the risk assessment is starting from a different place.

I do not think that under-estimating the risks of vasectomy, or being dismissive of men who do not want to have a 1:10 risk of the serious complications, particularly advances the totally separate issue of pressing for more research into better medical options for those damages by childbirth.

Yeah the1 in 10 rate if complications is quite high for a medical procedure.

DH had complications during the procedure, which he found traumatic but he healed just fine.

@NiceTnetennba I hear what you are saying but I don't agree - childbirth whether natural birth or CS is inevitable if you want DCs and necessary.

An elective Vasectomy is done with no benefit to the man, and I know that sounds a little sexist but that's the way I see it. If a man doesn't want children there are many methods of contraception out there that 99% of fall on the women to use. After lots of discussions of my DH having it done it comes down to the fact we don't want any more DC and I don't want to continue taking the pill. We have now decided the risk is too big and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if he had long term negative effects.

As a side note a friends DH had a vasectomy at her insistence before he was 30. She was having an affair and left him
Before he had even healed and now at age 30 he has to let any potential partner know that he can't give them kids.

My DH was also one of the 10%. However, we went into it blindly, OP you are being much more sensible. My DH does not regret having it done though but would definitely recommend thoroughly researching who does it and their ‘success’ rate.

I would recommend getting it done by a urologist, or via a specialist provider such as Marie Stopes, as their doctors will be carrying out the procedure regularly, and that will reduce the risk of surgical error (a GP who may do fewer per year than one of those practitioners does a week)

I had no idea that any gps did them! no disrespect to the skills of gps, but both my husbands went to specialist clinics and I certainly wouldn't have wanted it any other way. That's frustrating as surely that high longterm complications figure must vary by provider - all other surgical outcomes do. Even 1% would be a bit high for me though.

This 10% number is bandied about on Mumsnet but doesn't seem backed by evidence. Here is a big 2015 research piece on longer term complications and it says 1-2% (and some of this is reversible). Another bigger study on 16,000 men found 0.9% - and this was in 1984, without the latest techniques etc.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4854072/
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/6534499&ved=2ahUKEwiFpquloMvcAhXM26QKHcS0AncQFjAAegQIBBAB&usg=AOvVaw0bvegDTvFLIngzKWe_DPpN

Long term pill use also has complications, as does IUD use, while relying on condoms in the long-term often results in non-compliance and pregnancy (which has its own issues!). Personally I wouldn't go to my pretty rubbish local gp but we are looking at specialist clinics who certainly don't have issue rates anything like what is quoted here.