Potential Risks

Vasectomy is a low--risk procedure. Complications can occur with any kind of surgery. Major complications with vasectomy are rare and are usually associated with infection. Warning signals include:

• a fever over 100°F
• blood or pus oozing from the site of the puncture or incision
• excessive pain or swelling

Other potential problems

• Bleeding into the skin during the procedure may cause bruises that will clear up by themselves.
• Swellings containing blood -- hematomas -- occur in fewer than two out of 100 cases. They usually clear up by themselves, or with bed rest or ice packs. Surgical drainage is rarely needed.
• Swellings containing fluid -- hydrogens -- and tenderness near the testicles occur in less than one out of 100 cases. This usually clears up in about a week. Applying heat and wearing an athletic supporter helps, Surgical drainage is rarely needed.
• Sperm leak from the tubes and cause a small lump -- granuloma -- under the skin near the site of the operation in about 18 out of 100 cases. Sperm granuloma usually clear up by themselves. Surgical treatment is sometimes required.
• Mild infections occur in up to seven out of 100 cases. Rarely, an abscess may develop. Treatment with antibiotics is successful.
• There may be temporary discomfort or pain in the testicles. In about two out of 100 cases, the pain may be chronic and severe. Most of the time, pain is relieved by taking anti--inflammatory drugs or other medications. Very rarely, an injection called a spermatic cord block can be used to deaden the pain temporarily. Vasectomy reversal is very rarely needed to relieve pain permanently.
• Very rarely, the cut ends of a vas deferens grow back together -- recanalization. This most often happens within four months of the operation and may allow pregnancy to happen.
• Decreased sexual desire or inability to become erect occur in four out of 1,000 cases. The most likely cause is emotional -- there is no physical cause for sexual dysfunction associated with vasectomy.

Complication rates for vasectomy are generally lower for the no--incision, no--scalpel method ---- when the skin of the scrotum is not cut -- than for methods that include cutting the skin.

Cancer Risks?

Medical literature suggests that vasectomy has little, if any effect on the risk of developing prostate or testicular cancer AlI men -- especially those between 15 and 40 should be screened for testicular cancer every year. All men older than 50 should be screened or prostate cancer every year -- whether or not they have had vasectomies.

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