Not Your Father’s Vasectomy: The Benefits of a No-Scalpel Vasectomy (NSV)
If you’re considering having a vasectomy, you’re in good company — every year, over half a million men in the United States opt to take total control of their reproductive health with this permanent and highly effective form of male contraception.
And if you’re like most men, you’d prefer your vasectomy surgery to be as minimally invasive as possible, cause very little discomfort, and come with a low risk of complications and a quick recovery.
Here at Precision Surgery and Advanced Vein Therapy in Glendale, Arizona, board-certified general surgeon Johnny L. Serrano, DO, FACOS, specializes in minimally invasive vasectomy surgery, also known as the no-scalpel vasectomy (NSV).
Vasectomy basics
Vasectomy surgery is a permanent form of birth control that prevents sperm from entering your semen, so it can no longer leave your body during sexual intercourse.
Semen helps carry sperm out of your body when you ejaculate. Your body still produces semen and sperm following vasectomy surgery, and you also continue to ejaculate normally. What’s different is that your semen no longer contains sperm; the sperm that your testicles continue to make is simply absorbed by your body.
Vasectomy surgery is almost 100% effective — fewer than 1% of men who have a vasectomy go on to cause an unintended pregnancy.
Standard vasectomy surgery
Vasectomy surgery is a minor and relatively straightforward procedure that’s typically done in an outpatient setting with the aid of a local anesthetic. The average conventional vasectomy is over within half an hour.
During a conventional vasectomy, your surgeon numbs the area with a local anesthetic before making two small incisions on each side of the upper part of your scrotum. Then, your surgeon locates the vas deferens, or the tubes that carry sperm from each testicle to your urethra.
After gently withdrawing a portion of each tube through its overlying incision, your surgeon cuts and seals the vas deferens on both sides, effectively disconnecting the pathway that sperm use to reach your semen. The scrotal incisions are closed with absorbable sutures or surgical glue.
Minimally invasive NSV surgery
A conventional vasectomy and a minimally invasive NSV vasectomy both accomplish the same goal in the same way: both procedures seal off the vas deferens to disconnect the pathway that allows sperm to enter semen.
But there’s a major difference between a standard vasectomy and an NSV, and that difference is what makes the NSV method much gentler and considerably less invasive.
As the name implies, a “no scalpel” vasectomy doesn’t use cuts or incisions to gain access to the vas deferens — instead, it uses an advanced “micro-puncture” technique to create one tiny opening in your scrotum.
When Dr. Serrano performs an NSV, he uses a small, specialized instrument to create a tiny hole in your skin. Then, he then stretches the skin open just enough to pull out a small portion of the vas deferens so he can disconnect it.
Dr. Serrano disconnects both sides of the vas deferens through the same opening. Because the surgical opening is so small, bleeding is minimal and sutures are unnecessary — the hole will heal and close itself with a simple bandage.
The NSV advantage
It’s safe to presume that no man is partial to the idea of having surgical incisions and sutures on the most sensitive area of their body. But apart from easing the “squirm” factor associated with conventional vasectomy surgery, an NSV comes with several important advantages.
Like other minimally invasive surgical procedures, NSV causes considerably less tissue trauma than a regular vasectomy. This means less bleeding during the procedure itself, a lower risk of infection, less post-surgical discomfort, faster healing, and a speedier overall recovery.
It also means a quicker procedure — the average NSV surgery takes less than 15 minutes — and no residual scarring. The NSV approach is also just as effective as traditional vasectomy surgery, providing nearly 100% protection against unintended pregnancy.
To learn more about the NSV procedure at Precision Surgery and Advanced Vein Therapy in Glendale, Arizona, call 602-393-1304 or click online to schedule a consultation with Dr. Serrano any time.