5 Impressive Benefits of the No-Scalpel Vasectomy

A vasectomy is one of the most effective ways to prevent an unplanned pregnancy. With a success rate of nearly 100%, it’s little wonder that half a million men in the United States take family planning into their own hands each year and undergo this procedure.

As a leading men’s health and urology specialist in the Houston area, Dr. Robert J. Cornell has performed many vasectomies over the years. Most of them use the no-scalpel approach, which offers several great benefits.

1. No incisions needed

To perform a vasectomy, we need to access and block the tubes that deliver sperm from your testicles and into your urethra, where they mix with semen to form ejaculate. Called the vas deferens, you have two of these tubes, one for each testicle.

In the past, we would make small incisions in your scrotum to perform this work. Thanks to the no-scalpel vasectomy, we now only need to make small punctures to access and clip off your vas deferens. No incisions or sutures are needed.

2. Far less risk of infection

Any surgery, no matter how small, carries a risk of infection. With the no-scalpel vasectomy, this risk is much decreased because the lack of incisions gives less opportunity for infection-causing bacteria to get inside.

In fact, a 2014 study found no-scalpel vasectomies result in 5 times fewer infections than those that rely on incisions.

3. Less discomfort 

When you come in, we make you comfortable and administer a quick local anesthetic. During your no-scalpel vasectomy, you might feel some tugging, but you shouldn't feel any pain. 

Afterward, you might have some soreness, which is easily remedied with an ice pack and over-the-counter medications. This soreness generally lasts no more than a few days, and often less.

4. Quick treatment and recovery time 

Dr. Cornell performs no-scalpel vasectomies right here in our offices, and most of our patients are in and out in about a half hour. 

5. Lasting protection against pregnancy

We mentioned in the beginning that a vasectomy offers superior protection against pregnancy. And this protection is firmly in place for the rest of your life.

We do want to point out that this protection isn’t immediate. It takes, on average, two months after your procedure. During this time, you want to ejaculate as much as possible to clear any sperm that may be lingering inside your vas deferens. You should also rely on other forms of protection to be sure.

A few weeks after your procedure, we’ll test your semen for evidence of sperm. Once it’s clear, your protection is in place.

If you have more questions about the no-scalpel vasectomy procedure or you’d like to schedule one, please don’t hesitate to contact our Houston office today.