For the first 24 hours: Keep the bandage on. You can expect some soreness, mild swelling, or bruising of the scrotum. You may take acetaminophen (Tylenol), naproxen (Aleve), or ibuprofen (Motrin or Advil) for any discomfort. Don’t take aspirin for 2 days after the vasectomy. You may also use an ice pack outside your clothing for up to 20 minutes at a time. Please wait 24 hours before you take a shower or bath.

You can go back to your regular, non-strenuous activities the day after your procedure. You may start sports and heavy physical activity again after 7 days.

You may have sex 7 days after the procedure. It is normal to have some blood in the semen for the first few ejaculations.

You should call if:

• You get swelling and discomfort that does not improve with ibuprofen 400mg 4x/day and acetaminophen 1g 4x/day.
• Pus or more than a small amount of blood comes out of the vasectomy site.
• Spreading redness at the puncture site.
• Your temperature is higher than 38 ℃.

You must have your semen tested 12 weeks and at least 20 ejaculations after your vasectomy. You need to be sure that it no longer contains sperm before stopping other forms of birth control. You will be provided with a lab requisition to provide a semen sample at your local lab.

If sperm is seen, you will be asked to continue your other birth control and to bring in another semen specimen in 2 to 3 weeks. After twelve weeks, most men have no sperm in their semen. It is not unusual to have to repeat the test at least once.

Follow-up visit: Since there are no stitches, no follow-up visit is needed. You should return to the clinic or call 1 to 2 weeks after you took your semen sample to the lab. At that time we can discuss your results with you.

Pregnancy prevention: Continue using a contraception method until you receive the confirmation of a sperm-free semen sample from your lab results.

NOTE: A VASECTOMY DOES NOT PREVENT SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS (STI’s) Barrier methods, especially condoms, should be used to prevent transmission of STIs, including HIV/AIDS.