March 3, 2004. Comment by John:-
I'm just going to live with it, I am pretty sure it was caused by nerve damage during the original op., so I don't think there is anything that can be done to restore things by furthur interference. Maybe the damage will be restored by my own body in time? who knows? I have stopped seeking any more answers as it just makes me stressed and depressed. I think the only thing that would give me satisfaction now would be for someone to put the original urologist on a table and give me a couple of bricks, but maybe that's not altogether helpful in this discussion.
March 12, 2004. Comment by John:-
I think it is unlikely that your syptoms are related to the open-ended vas. I have suffered the same sort of thing since my vas was done 2 years ago. Mine was originally done closed ended, but I then had it converted to open ended 6 months later. The conversion cured the backpressure pain and tension that I had, and slightly improved the sensation on orgasam, but it is still quite frankly crap compared to before. I eventually put it down to unintentional nerve damage during the original op.
March 12, 2004. Comment by Trifold:-
I am trying to figure out what mechanism would account for the change in your experience. I think horniness is a function of T not sperm accumulation in the testicles. For example,even before my vas sex usually made me hornier. If there is a mechanical source of the horny feeling I doubt it is pressure in the testicles, but in the the ampullae (a semen reservoir further up the line). That still occurs after vas, since most of the semen comes from the prostate and other seminal vesicles, not the testicles. What kind of study do you think could find a physical cause of your problem?
March 13, 2004. Comment by Keith:-
Obviously I don't know exactly what the cause is or I would say so. What I do think is that this was a result of the vasectomy for some reason & I am not the only one who thinks this way. Seeing that studies I have heard of from my urologist & the one posted on the Pubmed site can't offer conclusive evidence either way, I think that further study is definatly needed. I also hope that someone like you guys that have added to this forum might have answers.
March 13, 2004. Comment by Keith:-
I would be interested in knowing if John has all, or just some of the changes that I have & if the doctors have been any help?
March 15, 2004. Comment by John:-
I would say my syptoms are broadly speaking similar, except I don't recall the contraction feelings in the testicals. In fact the testicals feel 'left out' of the orgasam, before the vasectomy the feelings of 'eruption' seemed to build up in the testicals and sweep up from there. 'Experts' will deny this. In answer to doctors help, I can answer this quite simply. NONE. Totally disinterested, if pushed they just write it off as psycological. I think the symptom of being less bothered about whether you have sex or not is probably related to the fact that the orgasam is not exactly mind-blowing any more.
March 18, 2004. Comment by Keith:-
The testicles are out of the picture for me too. John,are you planning on going for any further follow up with doctors, or are you just going to live with it? I am presently inquiring with the Dept. of Sexual Medicine at a local University,through my doctor to decide if a referal to them will provide any more answers.
March 22, 2004. Comment by Keith:-
I don't get stressed or depressed since I have found that this is known to happen. It took a while to find a doctor that would admit it & I know that it is quite rare. I think part of the reason it seems to be rare is that most guys don't want to admit to this type of problem. The first Urologist said that there are no documented cases, so I asked him who is keeping track because we have one right here & that I had little trouble finding stories of others on the internet. No response from him. I will update my story as it unfolds.
March 28, 2004.
I had my surgery about 8 months ago and had a very similar drop in sex drive. My balls ached for about the first 6 months off and on (especially during sex). The most regretable part is the orgasm. It's almost not worth having sex because it's so anti-climatic. I've been waiting for it to get better.
March 31, 2004. Comment by Keith:-
John, When you mentioned that you felt nerve damage was the cause of the changes that you experienced, I figured that it was your own theory since I had never heard it anywhere else,until now. My wife mentioned my situation to her doctor. The doctor said "oh,nerve damage? A reversal could cause more damage. I haven't had this happen to any of my patients yet." Were you told that this was a possible cause or have you seen this published or posted somewhere?
April 9, 2004.
I met with my doctor this past Wednesday. He has been doing vasectomys for 10 years and told me he has never had anyone request a reversal for the symptoms (reasons) I gave him. I find it really interesting that the only two guys I work with that have been "fixed" both had the same symptoms. One of the two guys is getting a reversal because he is getting remarried to a younger woman
who wants a child. Folks in the newsgroup have highly recommended seeing a reversal specialist if you are planning on going forward. I have asked my coworker for his doctors name and phone number for a second opinion.
Blood was taken to test my testosterone levels and he suggested some Korean Ginsing to improve the intensity of my orgasm but other than that offered no solutions.
Insurance now covers about 60 - 70 percent of the procedure which costs about 10 grand. I'd like to kick my doctor in the balls and myself for not doing more research before having this dumb ass surgery.
April 24, 2004. Comment by Keith:-
I recently received an interesting e-mail from a man that saw my story on this website.He had a vasectomy about 8 months ago & experienced similar symptoms to mine.After discussing his situation with his co-workers,he discovered the only two other men that had had vasectomies at his work also had similar or the same symptoms. He is currently trying to get answers without much luck so far.
June 15, 2004.
I recently had a vasectomy and have had exactly the same symptoms as you. Lack of sensation, reduced satisfaction after ejactulation, etc. Do you believe that reversal would eliminate most of these symptoms. I am one month out and do not want to wait several years to see if things get better. Like you my doctor dismisses most of my complaints. I would think that the sooner reversal the more likely it would succeed. Any thoughts?
August 28, 2004. Comment by Rich:-
Did you ever go through with the reversal? I don't have any pain but the rest of my symptons are similar to yours. I am considering a reversal myself.
August 29, 2004. Comment by Keith:-
I have decided not to go for the reversal for now. I am concerned that I may end up with worse problems if I go under the knife again. I might be one of the lucky ones for not having pain problems. I intend to update my story this winter.
August 29, 2004. Comment by Keith:-
Rich, Have you had any luck finding a doctor that has any experience with our type of symptoms? What have they told you? I have found it hard to find doctors that believe it could be a physical change that has caused it. I know it is not psychological.
August 30, 2004. Comment by Rich:-
I will let you know soon, I'm seeing the doc. who did mine tomorrow. Rich
September 9, 2004. Comment by Keith:-
Rich, Thanks. Let me know how it goes.
September 13, 2004. Comment by Rich:-
Hi Keith!
Well, I went to the doc. and told him I was positive this was not a mental problem and I even printed part of your story for him to read and told him I could get as many of these testimonys as he wanted. He read it while I was there and told me he could see no way that a vascetomy could physcially change anything. I told him that it did and someday they are going to change their opinion when they find out the truth. He said he would check on this and give me a call. I had to call him back about a week later, he said he talked to a few other urologist and they had all heard of this problem and he said it is caused by a "fear of unwanted pregnancy", yep, physcological. Unbelievable.. The fear would have been "before" the vascetomy and I never had any problems then. I asked about a reversal and he said he didn't see how it would help and that they cost between 7-15 thousand and it's not covered by insurance.. so, now I'm not quite sure what to do, I've been thinking about talking to a lawyer. I would like to talk to someone who has had a reversal and get their thoughts on this. seeya, Rich
September 16, 2004. Comment by Keith:-
Rich, My wife recently read me something from a novel that she was reading. It said "psychology is the medical professions dumping ground when they cann't figure out what's wrong". I think this is true in our case. I suppose I am lucky to have found a doctor that will at least admit that the psychological theory has never been proven. Just look at the link in my story, to the study posted on the "Pubmed" website if you want to see a lame conclusion with no data to back up the assumption that the cause is Psychological. Shouldn't this study have included the numbers of patients that were successfully treated with councilling? While searching the Pubmed site I came accross another vasectomy study that wasn't really related but did mention that men who have had reversals to treat symptoms like ours were excluded from the study. The study was done in China. I have since tried to find additional information on what the Chinese may know about this problem & reversals for it but haven't had any luck. I've thought about legal action too. The medical community doing vasectomies is being very irresponsible by not informing men that there is a real risk of this side effect. I don't how we could win a case unless we could find a study or a doctor with experience in this to back up with data what we already know to be fact. Stay in touch or e-mail me with the e-mail link if you like. I have been trying to encourage some of the guys that have e-mailed me to post on this site in order to put more of the stories like ours in one place. It seems to be relatively easy to find stories like ours but I think it is best if they are together so that other guys can print them off to show their doctors that this happens more often than they think.
September 16, 2004. Comment by Keith:-
Here is an e-mail sent to me.
Message : I recently had a vasectomy and have had exactly the same symptoms as you. Lack of sensation, reduced satisfaction after ejactulation, etc. Do you believe that reversal would eliminate most of these symptoms. I am one month out and do not want to wait several years to see if things get better. Like you my doctor dismisses most of my complaints. I would think that the sooner reversal the more likely it would succeed. Any thoughts?
September 16, 2004, 2003. Comment by Keith:-
Another e-mail. I had my surgery about 8 months ago and had a very similar drop in sex drive. My balls ached for about the first 6 months off and on (especially during sex). The most regretable part is the orgasm. It's almost not worth having sex because it's so anti-climatic. I've been waiting for it to get
September 16, 2004. Comment by Keith:-
Another e-mail. I met with my doctor this past Wednesday. He has been doing vasectomys for 10 years and told me he has never had anyone request a reversal for the symptoms (reasons) I gave him. I find it really interesting that the only two guys I work with that have been "fixed" both had the same symptoms. One of the two guys is getting a reversal because he is getting remarried to a younger woman who wants a child. Folks in the newsgroup have highly recommended seeing a reversal specialist if you are planning on going forward. I have asked my coworker for his doctors name and phone number for a second opinion.
Blood was taken to test my testosterone levels and he suggested some Korean Ginsing to improve the intensity of my orgasm but other than that offered no solutions.
Insurance now covers about 60 - 70 percent of the procedure which costs about 10 grand. I'd like to kick my doctor in the balls and myself for not doing more research before having this dumb ass surgery.
September 16, 2004. Comment by Keith:-
Another e-mail. Message : I had a vasectomy 3 years ago and while I have not had any major problems I have had minor problems like yours. I am absolutely dumbfounded that doctors think it is mental. It is physical.
Before the vasectomy I used to get what are called blue balls -- my ball would ache if I had not had sex recently. Also, when my wife played with my balls it felt really good and when I came it felt great.
The male system is nothing more than a hydraulic system. The prostate produces most of the fluid and the testicles produce a small amount of fluid -- before a vasectomy the fluid is free to flow between the prostate and the testicles and the pressure between the two of them is equal. After a vasectomy (open ended) there is no pressure on the testicle and the pressure from the prostate is stopped by the clamped off vas.
I had a lot of trouble with the clamped off vas. They run over the bladder and if if did not cum frequently it felt like my bladder was sore. If I came too frequently the area in front of my bladder was also sore.
You might try several things. If you have trouble cumming (thick cum) you might try an over the counter expectorant. You might try having sex on a regular schedule, like every other day. Finally, I have a low throid and my sex life is very dependent upon the exact amount of thyroid. You might try to get a doctor to give you a prescription for one grain of thyroid a day -- be sure and take only natural thyroid - Armour. Good luck!
September 18, 2004. Comment by Rich:-
Hi Keith! thanks for the info, it's quite the coincidance that sooo many guys have this "mental" problem... I'll keep ya posted on any thing I find out as well.. seeya,
September 24, 2004. Comment by Geoff:-
Keith, I have had a very similar experience. I had a vasectomy 6 weeks ago and all I have read suggests that I should be "back to normal" by now. I was about to call my doctor to ask what was going on when I saw your article.
My libido is now consistently lower. Whereas I used to get many erections during the day for no explicit reason, I now get none. I have not noticed any problems with sex but I have to work at it to get an erection.
Although supposedly fully anethaesitised during the operation, I noticed a particularly deep and pervasive pain when one Vas was cut (I think). It was like being kicked hard by a sharp boot in that testicle. This side was more painfull during recovery and has had a dull ache since.
So much for the propoganda about the safety of the method. I see the entry about nerve damage and I wonder whether this has happened to me. Anyone able to comment professionally on the location of nerves in this area that might be affected by a vasectomy???
November 8, 2004. Comment by Keith:-
Rich, It's too bad I don't have all of the old e-mails to post. A few have been deleted. I see that the e-mail link is longer operational from this website. Maybe e-mail addresses can be given out with permission through the Webmaster of this site. Too bad but at least the postings can still be added. On my last posting to Geoff I forgot to mention that the pain was when the doctor was squeazing the vas VERY hard to identify it. Lookimg foreward to hearing how you make out with this situation.
November 8, 2004. Comment by Keith:-
Geoff, I have questioned the urologist that I saw about the comment my wifes doctor made regarding nerve damage & he does't agree that it is possible.In the next breath he stated that there are microscopic nerves everywhere. I think the nerves in the vas definitely could be a factor as I experienced incredible pain when the doctor was making sure he could find both vasses at my original consultation pre-vasectomy. I really would like my wife to question the doctor a bit on her next visit to see if there is something published in a medical journal where the idea may have originally come from. Lets keep each other up to date as we come up with new information.
January 31, 2005. Comment by Kay:-
I had a tubal ligation 25 years ago during my third c-section. When I went to the doctor and told him about my terrible problems after the surgery, he told me it was all in my head. I went from doctor to doctor and was told the same thing repeatedly. One told me to quit wallowing in self pity, and do volunteer work to get my mind off of myself. Some suggested that I didn't think of myself as a woman anymore. Not so. I thought the tubal ligation was the greatest invention since the wheel. I could have spontaneous, carefree sex with my husband because there would be no more worries about pregnancy and a c-section at the end. It took me 9 months to accept the correlation between the tubal ligation and my pain and disfunction.
I had a cousin who had been a LPN for years and had just graduated with her RN, so I figured she would be up on the latest information. When I told her my woes, she started giving me the same line the MDs had given me. However because we were related, I didn't take it from her. When I finished, she acknowledged that I was experiencing the same symptoms as other women who'd had a tubal ligation. Then she said, the reason that doctors are pushing tubal ligations so hard is that MEN EXPERIENCE SO MANY COMPLICATIONS FROM A VASCETOMY!
After 4 1/2 years of agonizing pain, I had a laser microtubal reanastomosis (reversal). There were 3 doctors in 2 different states who told me that a reveral wouldn't help my symptoms because of all of the tiny nerves and blood vessels that were cut. They explained that those tiny structures could never be put back together. I was desperate and took the gamble anyway. I had a 75% recovery from the reversal.
February 15, 2005. Comment by Keith:-
Kay, Thanks for the information! It is quite shocking to me that so many doctors simply quote theories about the causes of symptoms as though they are proven to be facts & suggest it is in the patients head. I would like to know what the true percentage of post-vasectomy problems is. From what you were told it must be far more than the 2 to 3% I was told before mine. I have found that by being persistant an honest doctor will back off & admit that there is much that is not known. I am happy that your symptoms are much improved & it make me think seriously that I should have the reversal done.
March 19, 2005.
I had my reversal surgery in January and wanted to give it time to bake in before responding to you. My coworker never did get his surgery but I can tell you how mine went. I ended up going back to the same practice (different surgeon) since they felt somewhat responsible and did it for 50% off the surgeon fees ($5200 total). He did a midline cut and you almost can not see the scar since it was right on the "seam" of my scrotum.
I waited the 2 weeks before I try my new equipment and I could definately feel the orgasm was more intense. It stayed that way for a while and now some orgams are intense and some remind me of what they felt like right after the vas. Sex drive has remained fairly low however. Pain was much less severe this time around also.
Mentally I had to have the surgery. I had become despondent and my marriage was suffering. I really did not feel like I had any choice. Overall I feel like it was worth it but really I have to say that to justify the 5K I spent. I hope things are good with you and let me know if you have any other questions.
May 1, 2005.
I'm glad I found your notes online. After my wife had our third child, I decided to suck it up and do the manly thing and get snipped. My doctor was of foreign descent and there seemed to be a communication gap between us. Nevertheless, the procedure seemed to be perfectly normal. That was in 2001.
I had serious pain for weeks after. I took a week vacation immediately
after just so I wouldn't have to move off the couch. I continue to have dull aches in my testicles and pain if certain areas are touched 'wrong'. Like you, I have noticed a big difference in quality of sex. Prior to my vas, I had a pretty impressive 'air time' upon ejaculation. Orgasms were ugly-face toe-curling. Now, even though I still love sex, it isn't what it used to be. Ejaculation is, in my opinion, weak. Sensation upon orgasm is nice, but not toe-curling.
I have been seriously considering a reversal. Have you found any
additional light about this procedure?
December 30, 2005.
Thanks for posting what you have. I logged into this site looking to see if other post-vas men had the same symptoms I did, and your story rings very true for me.
My symptoms can best be described as decreased satisfaction with the after organsm period. There's no pain, and the orgasm itself feel good (though I did have a short period of wierd contractions in my testicals immediately post-op like you described.) The feeling is like I'm unfulfilled on some deep physical level. I don't have that satisfied feeling like I used to that was similar to feeling full after a holiday meal. It feels good, but I'm still horny. I'm never satisfied no matter how many orgasms I have but I still only capable of one or two. This just leaves me frustrated.
I also have been told by everyone (wife, doctors) that this can only be from a physchological cause since all the literature indicates that there can be no physical cause. This is a bunch of crap because I didn't change phycogically during the surgery and that is exactly when my symptoms started. It's been 7 years now and every orgasm has been different then it was pre-vas, regardless of the partner I was with or whether I was masturbating. It seems pretty clear to me it's from a physical cause.
Thanks again for posting your experiances. It helps to read that someone else has had the same symptoms as me.
August 20, 2007.
I had a vasectomy about 11 years ago and noticed the following immediately after my procedure:-
A reduced level of pleasure at orgasm. I too feel like I am low on semen from previous orgasms but without having any "strange contracting or squeezing sensations". This is my greatest concern given I had great orgasms prior.
- Semen volume is reduced and lumpy or jelly like in appearance.
- Dribbling a little after urinating.
- Mild aches in my right upper groin (not in my balls).
I didn't have any of these issues pre-vasectomy!
A few months after the vasectomy I returned to the doctor who performed the procedure and he indicated that there wasn't anything wrong. I also visited a urologist and he too indicated that there couldn't be anything physically wrong. I tried to ignore this until recently when I searched the web to see if anyone else had issues. I was excited to hear of your problems given they are much like mine - unfortunately I haven't found too many others with similar issues?
I have an appointment this afternoon with a specialist who performs
reversals and am seriously considering putting things back to normal if it is at all possible. Did you eventually undergo a reversal? If so did it help? How are things going with you now? Have you discovered any more information related to your issues?
Thanks for your help.
September 23, 2007. Comment by Butch:-
I have read Keiths story reguarding his problem with his vasectomy. Everything he has discribed is EXACTLY what I am going through right now. I had a vasectomy in May 07. I noticed and signifitant change in the way my orgasim felt, but chalked it up as a side effect that would go away. A few months later, I still do not have the same sinsation that I did pre-vasectomy and have lost the ability to get and maintin and erection. I was also told that it was physicial problem. Thanks to his story I will be pressuring my urologist more for some better answers rather than just doing test after test and having to wait for what seems like an eternity for the results.
May 29, 2011. Comment by Gary:-
I had a vasectomy in 1993 approximately. I to noticed the first time I had a orgasm after the surgery that the feeling of the orgasm was only about 60% of what it was before surgery. And I have told this story to many people. This is how I explain the feeling before surgery and then after. The feeling of orgasm before surgery was like if you kept blowing up a balloon until it was just about to explode and then let it go. The feeling builds longer and is more intense before ejaculation. Now after the vasectomy it is like if you blow up the balloon to 60% of it's capacity and then you let it go. It's just not as impressive. The feeling does not build as long which by the way is the best part of the feeling. And when you have orgasm it is as though it was released before it should have been. Things still work but the sensation is only about 60% of what it used to be. I to experience a feeling of a pulling sensation in my testicles when having a orgasm a lot of the time still. It has never gone away nor has the feeling gotten near the old 100% range. Again everything has worked but disappointingly after the vasectomy. I never did go back to the specialist that did the vasectomy. I guess I should have to give him feed back. I figured he would not be able to do anything anyway.
Here is something new though and I think it may be related. I had the vasectomy at 35 years of age. I am now 53 years of age. And I am now starting to experience problems of not being able to ejaculate some of the time. I believe because the feeling does not get strong enough. It gets hard but it takes forever to ejaculate. And this is my theory. I think that because sex after my vasectomy was left at only 60% as I started to age the feeling continually falls from there because of the natural aging process. Until things start to not work properly anymore. But if I had not had the vasectomy I would have started at 100% of the feeling and probably I would not have experienced the natural aging process for many more years. So not only did it ruin my sex life immediately after surgery but it is causing problems later in life. My doctor told me that after the vasectomy that things would work just like normal after the procedure. Boy was he wrong. I wish I would have not had the vasectomy. I have been paying for it ever since.