Dr Ben Frankel is able to perform no-scalpel vasectomies at the practice. Your GP needs to refer you for this procedure, which necessitates a telephone consent appointment prior to booking a date for the procedure itself. Please ring Sele Medical Practice on 01434 602237 if your vasectomy operation date needs changing, or your appointment cancelling.
The procedure will be carried out at Sele Medical Practice in our minor surgery facility. The procedure takes approximately 20-30 minutes of operating time with some post operative recovery time, meaning that each patient spends between 45 mins and an hour at the practice.
Please arrive just a few minutes prior to your appointment time.
Benefits
- No scalpel technique carries lower complication rates.
- Postal semen sample service. The kit for this is given after your vasectomy. The sample is done after 25 ejaculates usually between 3 and 6 months post vasectomy. If this is clear you get the all clear. If there are residual semen then a second sample is done at 7 months post vasectomy on site at the RVI.
- Vasectomy should always be considered to be permanent contraception. Reversal is not usually funded by the NHS and only has a 50% success rate.
Risks
- Local anesthetic is used for this procedure please inform us if you have ever had a severe reaction to this medication.
- Bruising is kept to a minimum during the procedure but can occur in the first 7-10days. Please avoid any knocks or vibration to the area. If any sudden changes in size occurs please seek soon advice.
- Infection is pretty obvious when it occurs, red, sore, swollen and fever. Please seek advice ASAP from your GP or 111 should this occur.
- Pain and ball ache. Most men get 2-3 weeks of an ache with occasional sharp pains. 90% are pain free at 3 weeks, up to 10% take up to 6 weeks to be pain free and 2% can go beyond 6 weeks. Simple analgesics are usually all that is required.
- Failure rate; 1:1000 find their semen samples don’t clear and need a redo. A rarer failure is when a chap gets the all clear to use their vasectomy but maybe years down the line a tube will rejoin itself to the other cut end, this is very rare at a rate of 1:2000.
Pre op Advice
- The procedure will be carried out at The Sele Medical Practice in our minor surgery facility, where you will sign a consent form. Hexham Primary Care Centre is sited at the left hand side of Hexham General hospital, near the East Entrance. Please present to our reception desk @ NE461QJ
- The procedure takes approximately 20-30minutes of operating time, you lie on a bed with drapes over you and 1-2 nurses helping Dr Frankel.
- Afterwards we give you the post operative advice and the semen sample packs, most patients spend about 45mins at the practice.
- Numbing cream (called Emla cream) can be bought from a pharmacy to take the edge of the local anaesthetic injection, this is your choice. Rub the cream into the front of the scrotum just below the base of the penis an hour before your operation.
On the Day
- Please be mindful of infection symptoms. If you feel unwell, please ring Sele Medical Practice to rearrange your appointment on 01434 602237.
- Please eat and drink as normal prior to your operation and arrive a few minutes early.
- Please shower and shave the base of the penis and scrotum area during the 24 hours before before arrival.
- Please bring supportive underwear.
- Please arrange for someone to take you home or a taxi, as you may feel unable to drive after the operation.
Post operative activity
- We always operate on a Friday morning to give most men the weekend to recover.
- Everybody recovers slightly differently. Listen to your body if you do something and it makes your ache or swelling worse your probably doing it too soon. You may need to take a few days off work.
- Seek advice asap if you see signs of infection or sudden changes in pain or swelling. This can be via your GP or 111.