How Long Does a Vasectomy Reversal Take?

How long does a vasectomy reversal take? Not as long as you might think!
Image: Shutterstock

A vasectomy reversal might be a fairly simple, minimally-invasive procedure, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have questions. How long does a vasectomy reversal take? How much post-operative pain are we talking about, and what should you do about it? And maybe the most important question of all: When is it okay to have sex again?

Vasectomy reversals are very safe and don’t require an in-hospital stay. They can take anywhere from 2 ½ to 4 hours to complete. At Vasectomy Reversal USA, we use both general and localized anesthesia as well as a mild sedative before the procedure. So while you probably won’t be skipping out of the operating room, you won’t have to stay too long, either.

Recovery requires a bit more patience, although it’s not as bad as you might think.

While it can vary, recovery generally takes somewhere between 3 days and two weeks. You may experience swelling, pain, or bruising, but everything to do with the urinary tract should still be working just fine.

When you get home, it’s important to do everything you can to support the healing process. Keep your legs elevated to keep the swelling down. Definitely avoid baths or submerging your body in water for about 48 hours. If you’ve been given painkillers, be sure to take those.

Vasectomy Reversal Specialist San Diego CA

With all this, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to get your partner to do nice things for you, like providing you with ice packs and some good old TLC.

But not too much TLC. You should wait about four weeks before being sexually active. And even though you’re approved for a little one-on-one adult fun after four weeks, it can take up to 18 months before sperm starts showing up in the semen again.

You should be able to get back to your usual daily routine starting three to five days after the procedure.

A few other things to keep in mind:

• If you’re taking any medications like blood thinners or pain relievers (aspirin, ibuprofen), let your doctor know. These can increase the risk of bleeding during the surgery.
• After the procedure, be careful about any activity that might pull on the testicles or scrotum, like jogging, biking, or heavy lifting.
• If you’ve got a desk job, you should be fine to go back to work after the vasectomy reversal. If you have a more active job, though, you may need to wait. Definitely talk to your doctor to determine what will work best for your situation.

A vasectomy reversal is a safe, out-patient surgery that’s a lot quicker than you might think. But like all surgeries, there will be some recovery time. So ask your doctor any questions you have. Then get ready to get back to building your family.