The Michigan Vasectomy Center
specializes in procedural medicine and has been performing No Scalpel Vasectomies
for more than 20 years. The founder,
Dr. Pfenninger
has been instrumental in teaching thousands of other
physicians how to perform vasectomies. Dr. Pfenninger was the
second in the state of Michigan to begin performing No Scalpel
Vasectomy, and one of the first few to offer No Needle No
Scalpel Vasectomy. He now performs over 200 no-needle, no scapel, no sutures vasectomies every year.
Vasectomies are performed in the office and only take about
twenty minutes. Vasectomy is a medical procedure that
provides permanent sterilization for men. Everything remains
the same after the procedure except that sperm are eliminated
from the ejaculate. You should be sure you do not want to
father any more children. It would be accurate to say that
long term side effects are virtually none and short term ones
(pain, bleeding, infection, failure) are very minimal. These
are all discussed in detail during a counseling visit.
The vasectomy procedure that Dr. Pfenninger performs is an
advanced technique that uses special instruments. No needle is
used for anesthesia. When receiving the anesthetic, it feels
just like a couple of rubber band snaps. Now the only
complaint from patients is the cold water used to wash off the
area after the procedure!
In 2001, Dr. Chic Wilson, introduced No Needle
Vasectomy. He claimed it was essentially painless and that
soon everyone would be using this method. However, most
physicians continue to use a syringe and a needle to numb the
area. Dr. Wilson’s innovation to the surgery was the way the
anesthesia was delivered. When he told Dr. Pfenninger he could
do a complete vasectomy with only 0.2 cc of xylocaine for
anesthesia, it seemed a little far stretched. For most
vasectomy procedures, 5 to 7 cc is injected through a small
needle. Although the pain with the needle only lasts 30
seconds on a side, it is still uncomfortable.
What Dr. Wilson developed was a small adapter that fit on to the
end of a MadaJet which has been available for years. The
MadaJet is the size of a test tube. You cock it somewhat like
a BB gun. (See diagram.) It creates a pressure which blows the
anesthesia into the desired tissues. Because the vas can be
isolated right under the skin, Dr. Wilson claimed that just
one puff with the instrument over each vas was enough to
provide total anesthesia for the surgery. It is so quick there
is virtually no pain. Using this method, he was able to avoid
any needles for the procedure. Thus, he developed the No
Needle Vasectomy procedure. Dr. Pfenninger has used this method
since 2008 on over 700 patients and it indeed works as well as
Dr. Wilson claimed.
Click here to
see a TV report on the No Needle method for anesthesia as
performed in Dr. Pfenninger’s office.
Bleeding is always one of the concerns when performing
vasectomy. During the administration of the anesthetic using a
needle, vessels can be ruptured. Using this new no needle
technique, there is even less chance of post-operative
bleeding.
No Scalpel Vasectomy involves making a single
opening into the scrotal sac (the bag that contains the
testicles) using an instrument that has a sharp point. It
looks like a very pointed hemostat. The tissue is spread open
instead of being cut which markedly reduces tissue damage. The
opening is only three eighths of an inch long and is made in
the middle of the sacs. Each vas is then pulled over to this
one opening and pulled through. The opening works much like a
turtle neck sweater…it expands and then shrinks down to almost
nothing again.
Once the tubes (vasa, sperm ducts) are brought out, a small
section is removed, the ends are cauterized (burned) and a
layer of tissue is inserted between the two ends blocking the
sperm ducts so that sperm are not included in the ejaculation
fluid. This prevents pregnancy. No scalpel is used for
entering and no stitches are needed to close the small
opening.
When you come in for your vasectomy procedure, it will take
approximately 10 minutes to prepare you, 10 minutes to do the
procedure, and 10 minutes to put on the dressings and do the
paperwork
Once the area is numbed using the No Needle Vasectomy method, there
will be no discomfort for about 1 - 2 hours. After No Needle
No Scalpel No Suture Vasectomy most men experience minor,
temporary discomfort and swelling. If you don't overdo it,
there generally is only a slight ache. Some men feel pulling
up in the groin for a few days. There may be some bruising. We
recommend that you take it easy for 2 days after the surgery.
If the procedure is done on Friday, most men return to work on
Monday. No pumping weights, jogging, or sex for at least one
week. Erections, climaxes, and ejaculations continue after
vasectomy as they did before. Sometimes the removal of fear of
accidental pregnancy may add a greater sense of pleasure.
You must use other contraception for at least three months
after the vasectomy procedure until the doctor has examined
two separate semen specimens and found them to be sperm free.
Although one in twelve hundred vasectomies fail, if two checks
of the ejaculated fluid are negative, it is very likely that
you will have permanent success. It is extremely rare that the
tubes will ever grow back together, if they have not done so
by three months.
Vasectomy should not be considered reversible.
Research is continuing, but presently, there is no method that
can totally assure restoring fertility. Current techniques of
reversal are only 80% effective. If you have any
doubts, please discuss other temporary birth control measures
that are available. It is also possible to freeze your sperm
for future use. Agencies in Flint and Detroit do this. It is
also possible to preserve/freeze your sperm using an overnight
mail service (http://www.cryochoice.com).
Ask for further information if you are interested.
Although tubal ligation for women is a good
procedure if a couple desires permanent contraception, there
are some advantages to a vasectomy. Over 500,000 tubal
ligations and 500,000 vasectomies are performed every year in
the United States . Fourteen women a year die in the United
States from tubal ligations, while no man has ever died from a
vasectomy. Failure rates for vasectomy range between 1 in 600
and 1 in 1200. Virtually all failures occur in the first three
months. For tubal ligations, failure rates are approximately 1
in 250 after the first year and continue to rise after that.
With tubal ligation, there is no way to detect the failures.
With vasectomy, men can bring in samples which are examined
for the presence of sperm. Should sperm be found, a repeat
procedure can be performed. Since vasectomy is an office
procedure, it is also less costly than a tubal ligation which
must be done in the hospital (about $1000 vs $4000). And now
that the procedure itself is essentially painless, vasectomy
has an even greater advantage as the preferred choice for
permanent sterilization. The American College of Obstetrics
and Gynecology and even Ann Landers say that "all else being
equal," vasectomy is the preferred sterilization procedure!
Remember, a vasectomy does not affect a man's sex drive,
his hormones, or sexual performance. It only blocks the
transport of sperm from the testicles to the ejaculate.
Vasectomies are covered by most insurance plans.
(If you
want to check with your insurance company to be sure it’s a
covered benefit, the diagnosis code is V25.2 and the procedure
code is 55250.)
It is now possible then to anesthetize without a needle and
to perform a vasectomy without using a scalpel or sutures. The
technique seems to be as good as it can get. Dr. Wilson was
right.
Call 1-877 VAS-CHOICE (1-877 827-2464) and schedule a No
Needle No Scalpel No Suture Vasectomy consultation. More
detailed information will be sent to you. In addition to
meeting Dr. Pfenninger, you will also view a 35-minute
comprehensive video discussing all aspects of the procedure in
detail. Please feel free to ask any questions or come in just
to talk. Just because you have a counseling session does not
mean you have to have a vasectomy. Other methods of birth
control such as the IUD, contraceptive rod (Implanon),
diaphragms, etc. can also be discussed.
