Should my husband have a vasectomy?

October 15 2021   |   News

Having a vasectomy isn’t just a male thing – female partners can and should play an important role in the process, from the initial decision through to the day surgery and the recovery afterwards.

It’s always good to have a supportive partner where medical treatments and surgery are involved and a vasectomy is no exception. It’s a big decision which will affect the family and really requires both partners to be on board with either going ahead or deciding not to.

Talk it through

The main reason for having a vasectomy is preventing an unwanted pregnancy and something couples need to discuss openly and thoroughly with each other. Are you likely to want more children in the future or are you happy with what you have?

It’s an important decision to make and one not to be taken lightly because while it is possible to reverse a vasectomy, the decision you make in having one is probably one you’re going to need to stick with.

The role of a partner

Having made the joint decision to proceed, your support as a wife or partner on the lead-up to the Summerfield Healthcare vasectomy is crucial. You will be able to attend any pre-surgery consultations to discuss the implications and the surgery itself – a good way to get involved and understand everything you need to know about the procedure.

You will be in on the discussions to choose a date for the surgery to suit you and your partner – a decision which needs to be made with a few post-op recovery days in mind.

The surgery itself only takes about 20 minutes under local anaesthetic so your partner will be in and out of our clinic on the same day. He will need a lift to and from the clinic which you may also be able to help with .

Recovery time

After surgery, your partner will need to rest as much as possible for two to three days – maybe a week, before returning to work. He will need to avoid any strenuous movement and heavy lifting for about a week and generally take it easy.

He may experience some discomfort after the procedure but this is perfectly normal and should ease over ensuing days.

Having a vasectomy will not affect your partners ability to have sex or his performance. The surgery basically cuts the natural pathway for sperm preventing conception but it will take some time, about three months, to be absolutely sure that there is no sperm remaining in your partner’s semen. This means other birth control methods will be needed during this time frame. After 16 weeks we will carry out a semen analysis to ensure your partner’s semen is sperm free and you can then dispense with other forms of birth control.

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