Ligation (vasectomy)

Before a vasectomy, it is important that a man thinks through this decision with all the pros and cons and that he makes his decision to have a vasectomy without pressure from others. If you wish, we schedule an appointment prior to the procedure to discuss these issues. The man must sign an informed consent agreement prior to the procedure to indicate that he agrees with the surgery and that he has been informed about the consequences.

We perform a vasectomy on an outpatient basis in our practice, and the surgery takes about 30 minutes. Using local anesthetic, the spermatic cords are exposed through a small incision in each of the testicles. A 2 cm piece is excised in each and both ends are sealed and tied off with suture thread. Both ends are then embedded into different tissue layers. Finally, the skin incision is stitched with sutures. 

The disability to work depends on the occupational activities, but is usually about a day. You can shower again immediately, but overly strenuous activities or sports should be avoided for several days (e.g. jogging or cycling). Sometimes light pain is felt that can radiate into the lower abdomen. We give you a supply of pain medication for this.  Very infrequently there is a larger swelling or bruising in the postoperative scar area. Protection, elevation and possibly ice can help with this. It is helpful to always wear well-fitted, non-constricting underwear. Removal of the sutures is not necessary, because the stitches fall off on their own after 1-3 weeks or dissolve.

In contrast to a woman, after the sterilization procedure a man is not immediately sterile. After several months and in some cases up to a year later, viable sperm can exist in the segments of the spermatic cords left behind after the surgery, that may be ejected with the ejaculate. For this reason, a contraceptive should be used until a sperm test comes up negative. This microscope analysis of ejaculate should be done after around 4 months (or the equivalent of 25 ejaculations). We give you the shipping material required for this.

A vasectomy is essentially a low-risk procedure. Bleeding or infections are extremely rare. Some prolonged pain or a somewhat greater swelling cannot be completely ruled out. Palpable scars can infrequently occur after the procedure, but these are hardly bothersome and cause complaints only in rare cases.

We charge CHF 800.- for a vasectomy. Generally, the amount is due on the date of the surgery. We accept Visa, Mastercard and American Express. A part of this cost is covered by most insurance policies.

In principle, a vasectomy is a permanent procedure. A refertilization operation can restore the potency of the seminal ducts in 90 % of cases. However, since the sperm increasingly lose their motility after a vasectomy, conception can only be expected less than 50% of the time.

A vasectomy does not influence virility, the production of male sex hormones or the amount or appearance of the seminal fluid. Only the sperm are unable to get through the severed seminal tubes, and they remain in the “dead ends” of the vasectomy site where they are taken up by the body’s phagocytes.