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Orlando Vasectomies Monday Oct 12 (Columbus Day).

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Vasectomy in Tampa and Central Florida

What is Vasectomy
Before Vasectomy
After Vasectomy
Limitations and advantages
Risks
Think Carefully
Schedule Vasectomy

What to Expect From a Vasectomy Procedure

Vasectomy is a safe, highly effective form of permanent birth control for men who are certain they do not want future pregnancies. At VasWeb, the procedure is performed in-office using local anesthesia, with a focus on comfort, efficiency, clear preparation, and follow-up testing.

Quick Facts About Vasectomy

  • Vasectomy is intended to be a permanent form of birth control. Reversals are often successful, but not always, so we cannot consider vasectomy "reversible", like condoms and most female options.
  • The procedure is performed in-office using local anesthesia.
  • Most patients return to light daily activities within a few days.
  • You must continue using other contraception until semen testing confirms the procedure was successful.
  • The sections below explain preparation, recovery, risks, limitations, and scheduling.
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What Happens During a Vasectomy?

During a vasectomy, the doctor numbs the area with local anesthesia spray and accesses the vas deferens, the tubes that carry sperm. The tubes are then blocked so sperm can no longer enter the semen. The procedure is typically brief and performed in an office or clinic setting. The access site is so small that stitches are not required.

What is a Vasectomy?

A vasectomy is a minor in-office procedure that prevents sperm from entering the semen. It does not remove the testicles, lower testosterone, or change ejaculation. Instead, the procedure blocks the tubes that carry sperm, making it a reliable long-term birth control option for men who are done having children.

At VasWeb, patients across Tampa, Orlando, and Central Florida receive clear preparation instructions before the procedure and follow-up guidance afterward.
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Vasectomy Anatomy

Before Vasectomy

The prostate and seminal vesicles produce over 95% of the semen. Only 2-5% of the semen is sperm from the testicles. Vasectomy does not effect the prostate and seminal vesicles, so most men notice no change in the semen after vasectomy.

How sperm normally travel

Sperm are made in the testicles and move through the epididymis, where they mature. From there, they travel through the vas deferens, the tubes that carry sperm toward the urethra, where they combine with the semen made by the prostate and seminal vesicles. During the procedure, these vas tubes are blocked so sperm can no longer enter the semen.

Vasectomy Anatomy

After Vasectomy

After the procedure, sperm may remain in the reproductive tract for several weeks. You must continue using other contraception until follow-up semen testing confirms that sperm are no longer present.

Sperm are still made by the testes after the procedure, but they can no longer pass through the vas deferens. White blood cells in the normal testicular circulation ingest, digest, and recycle the sperm that cannot exit the traditional way.

What Should Not Change After Vasectomy

A vasectomy blocks sperm from entering semen, but most men notice:

  • No change in the semen
  • No change in sex drive
  • No change in climax sensation
  • No change in the testes or scrotum
  • No change in erections

This is based upon surveys of our own patients in 2006 and 2010 (click for details).

Typical Recovery Timeline

  • First 24–48 hours: Rest, avoid heavy activity, and follow care instructions.
  • First few days: Mild soreness or swelling may occur and usually improves.
  • First week: Most patients return to normal activities.
  • Until semen testing confirms success: Continue using other birth control.

Benefits and Limitations of Vasectomy

Advantages of Vasectomy
  • One-time procedure with long-term birth control benefits.
  • Often covered by insurance or assistance programs for eligible patients.
  • More reliable than most temporary birth control methods.
  • Avoids the ongoing risks and side effects of birth control pills, shots, or IUDs by a partner.
  • Less invasive and often less costly than tubal ligation.
Limitations of Vasectomy
  • Vasectomy should be considered permanent. Reversals are often but not always successful.
  • It does not work immediately.
  • Other contraception is needed until semen testing confirms success.
  • It does not protect against sexually transmitted infections.
  • Reversal may be possible, but results are not guaranteed.
A vasectomy can provide long-term peace of mind when you are certain you do not want future pregnancies.

Risks and Safety Considerations

Most men recover without serious problems after vasectomy. However, like any medical procedure, vasectomy has possible risks. These may include temporary soreness, swelling, bruising, infection, bleeding, sperm granuloma, chronic discomfort, or, rarely, failure of the procedure.

Possible Short-Term Effects

Some temporary discomfort and bruising, occasionally swelling and tenderness requiring the use of anti-inflammatory meds like ibuprofen. These effects are usually mild and improve with time, rest, and non-prescription medication.

Less Common Risks

Less common risks include infection; bleeding and development of a scrotal blood clot (very rarely requiring drainage in an operating room); development of a usually painless inflammatory nodule at the vasectomy site called a sperm granuloma; and ongoing periodic scrotal discomfort, occasionally severe enough to be described as Post Vasectomy Pain Syndrome and to require an operation for relief, as described in our consent for vasectomy HERE.

Failure and Follow-Up Testing

Vasectomy is highly effective, but it is not immediate. Sperm may remain in the tubes downstream from the vasectomy site after the procedure, so another form of contraception must be used until semen testing confirms that sperm have all been expelled and are no longer present.

Long-Term Health

Current evidence has not proven a link between vasectomy and long-term health problems such as cancer or cardiovascular disease. Patients with questions should discuss them with the doctor before the procedure.

There are no proven long-term health risks (neither cancer nor cardiovascular disease) associated with vasectomy, but since questions have been raised, they are addressed in our page of Frequently Asked Questions.

Consider the Alternatives to Vasectomy.

The risks of NOT having a vasectomy are all borne by the partners of men who choose to avoid vasectomy. And they are considerable!

Think Carefully Before Vasectomy

Dr. Douglas Stein

Vasectomy should be treated as a permanent form of birth control. Although reversal may be possible, it does not always lead to pregnancy, so the decision should be made carefully and without pressure.

Vasectomy may be a good choice for men who are certain they do not want future pregnancies. Men in their 20s, men with fewer than two children, or anyone unsure about future family plans should take extra time to review all reversible birth control options before proceeding.

You should not have a vasectomy if you feel pressured, if your relationship or personal life is temporarily unstable, or if you have not fully considered alternatives. If you have never caused a pregnancy, sperm storage or additional testing may also be worth discussing before making a final decision.

  1. If your partner has already had a tubal ligation (female sterilization), of if she is pregnant now and may have a tubal ligation during a Ceasarean delivery, please read this Special Message.
  2. Understand the Alternatives to Vasectomy so that you are confident in your choice.
  3. Understand the "Instructions Following Vasectomy" below so that you know what to expect.
  4. Please shave the underside of the penis and the front wall of the scrotum, preferably before the day of the procedure. A bit of alcohol is used to clean the skin before use of the MadaJet® and it can sting slightly right after a fresh shave if the skin is chafed.
  5. Use no powder or deodorant in the genital area on the day of your procedure.
  6. Please wear a scrotal support (jock strap) or very tight underwear to the office on the day of your vasectomy.
  7. Be prepared to sign the operative consent sheet (found HERE) upon your arrival in the office.
  8. If possible, arrange to have someone drive you home. Some men who leave the office feeling great will experience delayed lightheadedness.
  9. Plan to do nothing but recline at home (sofa or bed) on the afternoon and evening of the vasectomy.
  10. Do not take any aspirin-containing medication for five days before the procedure.
  11. If your insurance company or HMO requires authorization, be sure to bring it or call our office (813-536-1430) a day or two before your vasectomy to see whether we have received it.
  12. To save time on your procedure day, please watch the Online Counseling Video and complete our Online Registration Form.
  13. If you are taking TESTOSTERONE for "low T" please list it as one of your medications when you do the Online Registration and read the info HERE.
  14. Eat before your procedure, a normal breakfast or lunch. Nervous men who do not eat beforehand are more likely to become lightheaded during or after their vasectomies.
  15. If you have no insurance and are paying $690 ($490 if you are a training case), you will pay a $150 deposit when filling out the online registration and $540 ($340 if you are a training case) immediately before the procedure. If you have insurance though a plan with which are contracted, you will pay a $150 deposit when filling out the online registration and your plan's contracted allowable (less the $150 deposit) immediately before the procedure. We will submit a claim for you. If we are paid by your insurance carrier, that amount or what you paid (whichever is less) will be refunded to you. For men with insurance plans with whom we are not contracted, we will provide an itemized and coded receipt which can be sent to the plan for possible reimbursement.

  1. Spend a quiet evening at home, reclining in bed or on the sofa. Minimize activity. Some men have no pain at all after vasectomy. Many have mild discomfort that does not require pain pills. Sometimes the discomfort is in the groins or abdomen. That's because the testes originate in the abdomen in embryonic life and drag their nerve supply with them as they migrate into the scrotum. So any issue in the scrotal contents can be perceived as an abdomenal process.
  2. Avoid aspirin for 2 days after the vasectomy. You may take acetaminophen (Tylenol or generic) if you have any discomfort, as well as Ibuprofen (Motrin, Nuprin, Advil or generic) and naproxen (Aleve) , which are both pain medications and anti-inflammatory drugs. Pain beyond 3 days, especially if accompanied by some swelling of the vasectomy sites above the testes, may signify excessive inflammation, for which ibuprofen and naproxen are better choices than acetaminophen. Some men will have more discomfort or tenderness 3-5 days after the vasectomy than they do for the first few days after their vasectomies. That's because the body goes through a series of steps in responding to the new arrangement, and sometimes the later steps are more noticable than the earlier steps. Usually no reason for concern.
  3. No need for ice packs, unless you really enjoy having ice on your scrotum.
  4. On the day after the procedure, you may walk and drive as much as you like, but no sports, yard work, swimming, or heavy lifting over 30 pounds. If your job is sedentary (office work or supervisor), you may return to work.
  5. You may remove your tight undershorts or scrotal support and take a daily shower starting the morning after the procedure. Replace the tight underwear or scrotal support and wear it whenever you are up and around for the next 2 days, during sports for the next 7 days.
  6. Two days after the procedure, you may return to more strenuous work and regular activities, including swimming, wearing your scrotal support. When pain is gone and tenderness is minimal, you may return to the gym or to running, but on the first day back, do half of your usual workout: half the weight, half the reps, half the speed, half the distance, etc. If pain does not return, you may do your regular workout the next day. You may also swim in fresh or salt water two days after the vasectomy.
  7. Sex: When you no longer have any pain or tenderness, you may ejaculate. I have always recommended waiting at least 2 days for sex, but the American Urological Association Vasectomy Guidelines recommend that men wait a week. Sooner ejaculation could prolong discomfort. Blood in the semen within the first few months after the vasectomy occurs in some men, but it is no reason for concern.
  8. No follow-up visit is required. You will be given our cell phone numbers and if you have undue discomfort or any concerns, you should text your doctor anytime after your vasectomy.
  9. It is normal to have some discoloration of the skin (black and blue) around the puncture site a day or two after the vasectomy. Some men will develop considerable discoloration of the scrotum about 4 days after the vasectomy. Blood from the deep vasectomy site comes to the surface as a purplish-blue mark, gets darker and spreads out like an oil slick, then gradually dissipates.
  10. Some men (about one in 20) will develop swelling and discomfort on one side, sometimes on both sides, starting anytime from 3 days to 3 months following vasectomy. This usually represents an exaggerated form of the normal inflammatory response necessary for sperm resorption and recycling. It is effectively managed with a 5-7 day course of ibuprofen 600 mg 3 times per day.
  11. At least 12 weeks and 20 ejaculations after your vasectomy (time and activity are both important), mail or bring a semen specimen to our office. The specimen should be produced after 2 days of abstinence from ejaculation. Specimens will not be checked early. If you mail your specimen earlier than 12 weeks or if you lose the mailer provided at the time of the procedure, we will send you another mailer for a fee of $20 payable by credit card over the phone. The first part of the semen sample is the most important because it is normally the part most likely to contain sperm. If you miss this first part, or if you don't abstain for 2 days prior to producing the specimen, the test may not reliably show whether sperm are still present after your vasectomy.

    If you are bringing the specimen, it should be in a small container with a lid, such as a pill or vitamin bottle, baby food jar, etc. The sample should be 30 minutes to 4 hours old. If we are not busy, you will have the result in minutes. If we are very busy, we will examine it when we have time and send you an email with the results by 4 PM that day.

    If you are mailing the specimen, use the mailer (which contains a preservative) and follow the instructions provided. Negative results (you are all clear) will be emailed to the address we have on file for you. If sperm are still seen, you will be asked by email to call our office, whereupon we will (1) advise you to either bring a second specimen to the office 3-4 weeks after the first sample was analyzed, or (2) send you another mailer kit which you use to send a second specimen 3-4 weeks after the first sample was analyzed. Do NOT assume that your semen is sperm-free (sterile) until you get an email from us that tells you that you may stop other forms of contraception.
  12. Dr. Galante's special post-vasectomy expectations and management are HERE.

Additional Considerations Before Vasectomy ("Special Messages")

These messages don't apply to all men but please click those that apply to you.

Schedule Your Vasectomy

Tampa/Lutz Office:

At our Tampa/Lutz office (click for location and directions), we can usually see any candidate within two weeks.

Because there is so much information here in vasweb.com, especially with the online counseling video, we do not require preliminary consultation visits and most men opt for only one visit, during which we complete the consultation and procedure. If you would like to visit the office and meet Dr. Stein, Galante or Samplaski personally before deciding to proceed, we would be delighted to see you twice. (In fact, we prefer to consult with childless men in their 20's either in person or by telephone at least one week before their vasectomies to thoroughly discuss the issues in the Special Message above.) If the consultation and vasectomy are on separate days, either can be done on any weekday.

All scheduling is done by Heather and Sergio at 813-536-1430 between 9 AM & 4 PM M-F. They can also answer many insurance and logistical questions.

Outfield Locations:

We perform vasectomies at a number of locations in central Florida. A complete map with links to information about these locations is in our Locations Page.

Registration:

You must register online before your visit, but when you arrive, you won't have to fill out all those papers like in many doctors' offices. Please do not hit SUBMIT more than once. Call our office (813-536-1430) M-F, 9-4 after submitting your registration to arrange a convenient appointment time.

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