Vasectomy is a form of permanent sterilization in men, generally adopted by those who do not want more children. Vasectomy however, does not mean castration. This procedure has no adverse effect on the testes as well. It also does not hamper the sexual ability or drive of a man.

Vascetomy procedure

In this process, an opening is made near the man’s scrotum. The scrotum is the sac of the skin that holds the testicles in the body. After the opening has been made, both the tubes that carry sperm from the testicles are closed off. This way the sperm is unable to enter the semen. This however, does not mean that there will be no ejaculation. The man will be able to ejaculate, but his sperm would not contain any semen. Therefore, the man is unable to impregnate the woman.

Success rates and pregnancy after vasectomy

According to medical practitioners, this method is very successful, with one pregnancy occurring in about 700 cases of vasectomy. The success rates of a vasectomy is pretty high with only 0.2% chance of pregnancy after vasectomy. Also, doctors say that for the first three months or first 20 ejaculations – whichever is first, will make the vasectomy even more successful. This is also the preferred form of sterilization, as this does affect the man’s health in the long run.

Vasectomy post pain and side effects

There may be some post vasectomy pain & side-effects of the surgery such as, dizziness. If there is infection or bleeding at the place of incision, a doctor should be consulted immediately. Also, if blood clots are observed in the scrotum, then it should be reported to a doctor immediately.

Cost of a Vasectomy

The cost of a vasectomy is very reasonable compare to other sterilization methods. It usually cost around $500-$1000 depending on your location. It is a simple procedure that can be performed within a doctor’s office and your insurance company will usually cover the cost.

Reversal chance

Once a vasectomy has been performed, it is very difficult to do a vasectomy reversal surgery. It is not performed everywhere in the world, and is an expensive procedure. Doctors generally advise men wishing to reverse the process of vasectomy, to seek other methods.

Often, medical experts use the term ‘surgical menopause’. Surgical menopause refers to the menopause caused due to hysterectomy where the ovaries have been removed. The menstrual cycle comes to an abrupt stop if, in the hysterectomy process, the uterus, ovaries, and the fallopian tubes are removed. Women, who have had only one of their ovaries removed, enter menopause in the natural course of time. In cases where only the uterus has been removed, menopause will be induced, and the symptoms of menopause will set in earlier.

Experts are of the opinion that women going through a hysterectomy-induced menopause experience more severe form of menopause symptoms than the ones who experience it naturally. Some of the symptoms of menopause include depression, osteoporosis, and hot flushes. Women with surgical menopause are more prone to heart disease as well.

Mostly, doctors prescribe doses of estrogen to women experiencing hysterectomy menopause. If estrogen is not administered, then women may go through acute depression, memory lapse, and severe fatigue. Doctors also prescribe Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) after hysterectomy.

There have however, been 36 reported cases of pregnancies after hysterectomy. They are called ‘ectopic pregnancy’. In these cases, the process of hysterectomy had removed their uterus, but their ovaries and fallopian tubes were intact and healthy.

Ectopic pregnancy, although a rare occurrence, generally takes place in the fallopian tubes. Also, this pregnancy is not a successful pregnancy. In the 36 cases of ectopic pregnancies reported in the world, most of them had occurred immediately after hysterectomy. Medical practitioners are of the view that this could have happened because of a possible presence of a fertilized egg in the fallopian tube at the time of hysterectomy. However, this too is a very rare occurrence, the experts say.

After returning to a normal life from the surgery, women need to take some precautions. They should take care to wash the incision with soap water to keep it clean. The area around the incision might start itching, so women can make use of lotions to keep itching away. Women who have undergone hysterectomy should avoid lifting heavy objects till about four weeks of their surgery. According to experts, physical intercourse too, should be avoided in the first couple of weeks after the surgery. Any physical activity such as exercises should be put off for the first two weeks after the surgery, however, women can get back to their work in about three weeks’ time.

Abdominal hysterectomy is the most commonly used method of hysterectomy. In this case, incisions are made near the abdomen and the uterus is detached from the ligaments holding it, and is removed through the vagina. Sometimes, this results in ‘short vagina’. This condition can make physical intercourse extremely difficult. This particular process of hysterectomy has been known to cause bladder and bowel injury in women. It may also damage the ureter or cause adhesions on other parts of the body. Vaginal hysterectomy too, may cause injury to the bladder. In case of vaginal hysterectomy, the uterus is removed through the vagina. This process may lead to fever or infection.

In general, hysterectomy may cause fatigue, depression, headache, and weight gain in women. In some cases, hysterectomy has even caused heart disease, osteoporosis, or memory loss in women. Women have also complained of bleeding, urinary disorders, vaginal dryness, and hair loss after hysterectomy.

This type of hysterectomy is performed under general anesthesia, and patients are told not to eat or drink at least six hours before the surgery. There are two ways to perform a vaginal hysterectomy:

i. Direct vaginal hysterectomy
ii. Keyhole vaginal hysterectomy

Direct vaginal hysterectomy
In this process, special instruments are passed through the vagina. These instruments cut the cervix and the uterus, which are then removed from the body through the vagina. If there is any bleeding in the process, surgeons normally leave a dressing inside the vagina that soaks up the blood. They then stitch the top of the vagina to close it.

Keyhole vaginal hysterectomy
Under this technique, surgeons make small incisions on the lower abdomen of the patient. Through these incisions, they insert small telescopic cameras into the abdomen. With the help of the camera, the surgeons are able to detach the cervix and the uterus from the body. These are taken out through the vagina, and the vagina closed with the help of stitches.

Patients who have undergone either of the above-mentioned forms of hysterectomy are kept under observation for two to four days. They completely recover from this surgery in about six to eight weeks. Women tend to experience depression, vaginal dryness as well as hot flushes. They may also feel fatigued. These are some of the normal side-effects of abdominal hysterectomy.

However, a doctor should be consulted if there is high fever, vaginal bleeding, or even bleeding from the incisions. A medical practitioner should be consulted in case of nausea or pain in the leg as well.

In this kind of surgery, although the uterus is removed, the cervix is not touched. The Laparoscopic Supracervical Hysterectomy, also known as LSH, has many advantages over other forms of hysterectomy. The LSH is a less painful method, and it does not leave a scar behind. The recovery time after this surgery is much faster than abdominal or vaginal hysterectomy. In this case, the woman can return back to her normal lifestyle in less than a week.

Medical experts also favor LSH because unlike other forms of hysterectomy, this does not result in uterine prolapse or urinary incontinence.

i. Total hysterectomy
ii. Hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy
iii. Partial hysterectomy
iv. Radical hysterectomy

Total hysterectomy
The most common kind of hysterectomy, total hysterectomy is the process where the uterus and the cervix are removed. This is mainly used on patients suffering from uterine and cervical cancer.

Hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy
In this case, surgeons remove the ovaries as well as the fallopian tubes along with the uterus. This kind of hysterectomy is normally performed on ovarian cancer patients.

Partial hysterectomy
Partial hysterectomy is the removal of the uterus, cervix, ovaries, fallopian tubes, oviducts, lymph nodes and channels, and the upper part of the vagina. Surgeons perform partial hysterectomy in case of cervical or endometrial cancer. This kind of surgery becomes important when the cancer spreads to the cervix.

Hysterectomy can be performed either through the vagina or through the abdomen. In case of a vaginal hysterectomy, surgeons make an incision near the vagina. With the help of this incision, they are able to detach the uterus from the ligaments holding it. The uterus is then removed from the body using the vaginal opening. Unlike abdominal hysterectomy, this procedure is not painful and women can return to their normal lifestyle after about four weeks. This process is generally used on women suffering from uterine prolapse or fibroids.

Abdominal hysterectomy, on the other hand, is a process where surgeons make an incision on the abdomen. This incision is about 8-10in long, and is used to remove the uterus. This kind of hysterectomy is used in case of an enlarged uterus or cancer. This surgery leaves a scar. It also takes a woman much longer time to recover as compared to that in vaginal hysterectomy. Even then, this is the most preferred form of hysterectomy in the United States.

The Pomeroy tubal ligation technique entails tying the two fallopian tubes in a loop and then cutting them off. Medical practitioners use a surgical tie for the loop so that it gets absorbed by the body over a course of time. When the tie is absorbed by the body, the ends of the fallopian tubes fall apart. This is followed by yet another process. This is known as the ‘Irving’ or the ‘Uchida’ technique whereby the fallen tube ends are moved away from one another lest they reattach themselves.