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Vasectomy - Risks

Alternative Names

Sterilization surgery – male; No-scalpel vasectomy; NSV

Risks:

There is no serious risk to vasectomy. Your semen will be tested in the months after the operation to make sure it does not contain sperm.

As with any surgical procedure, infection, swelling, or prolonged pain can occur. Careful following of aftercare instructions reduces these risks significantly.

Very rarely, the vas deferens can grow back together again. If this happens, sperm can mix with semen. This would make it possible for you to make a woman pregnant.

  • Reviewed last on: 3/22/2010
  • David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc., and Scott Miller, MD, Urologist in private practice in Atlanta, Georgia.

References

Nagler HM, Jung H. Factors predicting successful microsurgical vasectomy reversal. Urol Clin North Am. 2009 Aug;36(3):383-90.

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