The recovery from any procedure can be a bit daunting, especially when you don’t quite know what to expect. It is also pretty important to know what kind of downtime you are looking at ahead of time so you can plan. We want to reassure you that the recovery from a vasectomy is relatively quick and we will be with you every step of the way. In this article, we will break down everything you need to know about getting back to your normal life post-vasectomy!
Immediate Post-Vasectomy Care
Immediately after your vasectomy, you will be sore. You should take it easy for the first 24-48 hours. Being a couch potato should be your only priority. You can apply ice packs (or a good ole bag of peas) to your scrotum on and off to help with the discomfort and to keep the swelling down.
For pain control, tylenol and ibuprofen should be sufficient, unless there are any reasons you have been told you cannot take them before. Each one can be taken every 6 hours. It is best to alternate them and keep them on a schedule while you are awake. For example, you can take tylenol and then 3 hours later ibuprofen and then 3 hours later tylenol and so on. You can keep them on schedule for the first 48 hours to keep the pain at bay. After that, you can just take them as needed.
Returning to Work After a Vasectomy
When you can return to work after a vasectomy purely depends on what you do for a living. For the guys that do computer work from home or have a desk job, it shouldn’t be an issue to head back to work the day after the vasectomy. If you do a lot of heavy lifting, walking (miles and miles), pushing, or any activity that is going to cause straining of your abdomen, pressure or a lot of movement involving your scrotum, you should probably take about a week off of work.
Resuming Exercise
You should wait until at least 10 days before resuming exercise post-vasectomy. Additionally, before you resume exercise, you should make sure that everything is feeling back to normal. If you are still sore, that may be a sign that your body needs a little more time to heal and you should probably wait before resuming your standard workout. Of course, as you are jumping back into things, you should start small and progress from there. For example, if you typically lift heavy weights, you should start quite a bit below your normal and progress back to normal as long as you are feeling okay.
When Can You Have Sex Again?
You should avoid sexual stimulation/activity for about 10 days after your vasectomy. You should also make sure that you are pain free prior to resuming any sexual activity. Some guys have a little bit of anticipation on what returning to sexual activity may feel like and prefer to start with masturbation and that is a great way to build your confidence before bringing a partner into the mix.
Don’t forget that a vasectomy should not alter your sensation or ability to get an erection. In fact, some men and their partners actually experience an increase in sexual pleasure as the knowledge that you are unable to get pregnant can make things more spontaneous and fun!
Make sure to continue to use other forms of birth control until the post-vasectomy semen analysis confirms the absence of sperm. After that, feel free to stop other forms of birth control and enjoy the spontaneity of post-vasectomy life!!
When to Contact a Doctor
You should contact your doctor if you have any questions or concerns regarding your incisions or any pain/discomfort you have resuming your normal activities following the procedure. Here is a list of red flag items your provider needs to know about!
- Fevers >101 or signs of a skin infection at the site of your incisions (redness, hardness, and warmth to the skin, pus-like drainage from your incision)
- Bruising/swelling of the scrotum that is progressively worsening
- Sharp/severe pain with physical or sexual activity
- Sharp/severe pain with ejaculation
- Persistent blood in the semen after several weeks/ejaculations
- Difficulty getting or maintaining erections
Overall, the recovery for a vasectomy is pretty quick in the grand scheme of things. The first 1-2 days you should be a couch potato and keep the activity to a minimum. After about 10 days, you can resume regular exercise and sexual stimulation as long as you are feeling pain free and up to it. When resuming activity, always start slow and increase back to normal as tolerated. If at any point you have increased pain with increased activity, go ahead and take things down a notch, rest another day or two, and try again. By listening to your surgeon’s instructions and listening to your body, you can help yourself have a peaceful recovery and heal properly. Do not hesitate to call your provider with any concerns or if anything feels outside of what you may expect.
