Vasectomy
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Medical Procedures Center
Lorenzo Berlanga, MD
Dermatology Procedures and Primary Care located in Midland, MI
A vasectomy is nearly 100% effective as a permanent way to prevent pregnancy. At Medical Procedures Center in Midland, Michigan, highly experienced family medicine physician Lorenzo Berlanga, MD, and his team offer men this simple procedure as a form of male birth control. If you’re considering a vasectomy, call the office to find out more.
Vasectomy Q&A
Who is a candidate for a vasectomy?
Men who are certain they no longer want to father a child are candidates for a vasectomy. It is a permanent form of birth control and much less invasive and more affordable than female forms of sterilization.
A vasectomy can be reversed, but it’s not guaranteed to work. You should be sure to carefully decide if you no longer want to have children before having the procedure. Note that a vasectomy will not protect you from sexually transmitted diseases.
What happens during a vasectomy?
During a vasectomy, your supply of sperm to your semen is cut off, so you’re no longer fertile. The entire procedure takes 10-30 minutes and is done on an outpatient basis, so you go home the same day.
Your provider at Medical Procedures Center numbs your area with a local anesthetic and then makes a small incision in the upper part of your scrotum. They locate and seals off the vas deferens (the tubes that carry semen from each testicle). They then close the incision.
Are there side effects of having a vasectomy?
For the first few days following the procedure, you may have some swelling, pain, and bruising in the area. You should avoid sexual intimacy for about a week; ejaculation can cause pain or blood in the semen.
Are you immediately sterile following a vasectomy?
You are not immediately protected against pregnancy, so use alternative forms of birth control until your doctor informs you that sperm is no longer present in your semen. You will then have a semen analysis 6-12 weeks after the procedure to test the effectiveness of the vasectomy.
What are some myths regarding vasectomy?
You may hear that a vasectomy can negatively affect your sexual performance or permanently damage your sexual organs. These are unfounded claims: A vasectomy does not affect your sex drive or masculinity in any way.
To dispel another myth, a vasectomy does not increase your risk of cancer or heart disease. Also, the procedure is not severely painful; discomfort is mild and goes away in a few days.
If you’re considering a vasectomy, set up an appointment with Medical Procedures Center by calling or booking online to find out if the procedure is right for you.
