What should patients consider before having a vasectomy?

Vasectomy is a quite common method of contraception used by many men. And I think, before men undergo vasectomy, they've gotta be 100% sure that they actually want to undergo the procedure. It's very important to consent patients for vasectomy, and that's one of the biggest areas of concern. So, when men want to have a vasectomy, they need to be aware that it's irreversible. They also need to be sure that they're not going to have any more children. Most importantly, the vasectomy doesn't render you sterile straight away. But, in fact, it takes up to four months, at least, before sperm has cleared from the ejaculate. It may take up to even seven months. And, sometimes, you get a phenomena of rare non-motile sperm, where sperm remains within the ejaculate for up to seven months. This is dead sperm, even after a vasectomy. The main complications are bleeding, bruising, swelling. But, in particular, chronic or chronic testicular pain can occur in about 1% of men, permanently. However, it is not that common and, generally speaking, most men don't get that, but they need to be aware of that. But the main risks are attached to the fact that it can reverse spontaneously, even when you've got the all clear. In about 1 in 2,500 men, the sperm tubes can join back together again and you can get unwanted pregnancies. The vasectomy is done under, usually, local anesthetic, but you can use general anesthetic. General anesthetic makes it easier, both for the patient and the surgeon, to perform where the sperm tubes are hooked up through two small incisions either side the scrotum. And the ends are sent off to pathology. The ends are then burned and diathermized to try and reduce the risk of the two ends joining back together again.