With vasectomy reversal and other surgeries, it’s common to receive instructions not to eat or drink anything for a period of 8-12 hours before your surgery—including just a few sips of water. While it can be somewhat frustrating to follow this rule, the reason your doctor makes this recommendation is important.

When you are under general anesthesia or a twilight sedative, your body will not aspirate, or clear the airway of a blockage caused by saliva or food or liquids you’ve consumed. When you have food in your stomach, the risk of a blockage is higher, and you may choke during the surgery. Additionally, there may be significant post-surgical nausea if you go into surgery without an empty stomach, and that’s a complication that’s easier to prevent than it is to treat.

When you schedule your vasectomy reversal surgery with Dr. Joshua Green at the Center for Vasectomy Reversal, you can expect the highest quality of care within our state-of-the-art operating room as well as dedicated attention during your surgical consults and follow-up visits. To learn more about undergoing vasectomy reversal in Sarasota, FL, give us a call at (941) 894-6428.

Vasectomy reversal is performed using microsurgical techniques that are minimally-invasive, so they cause less trauma to the body and facilitate a faster, easier recovery. In fact, vasectomy reversals are most often performed on an outpatient basis, meaning you won’t even need to spend a full day in the hospital following your surgery. There are, however, still some side effects of surgery to consider, and the most prevalent and perhaps uncomfortable will be scrotal swelling. Swelling is a healing response in the body, so it’s a natural part of surgical recovery and shouldn’t cause alarm after your vasectomy reversal .

Swelling is the most common side effect of surgery.

Most men will experience post-op swelling in the scrotum, which may be mild or quite substantial. Generally, even significant swelling is not a sign of any problems. It is simply a natural part of the body’s healing process and will subside within a few days.

Swelling should not be accompanied by severe pain or bruising .

Some mild pain and bruising are normal, but when pain begins to feel intolerable or bruising is widespread, it is important to call your surgeon and discuss these symptoms. This is especially true if you are experiencing severe swelling with intense pain.

A cold compress will offer the most relief.

To control swelling, the best thing to do is take it easy and rest for the first full day after surgery while using a cold compress. Apply the cold compress to the scrotal area for about 20 minutes, and then wait about 40 minutes before the next application.

For expertise in vasectomy reversal, you can count on Dr. Joshua Green at the Center for Vasectomy Reversal in Sarasota. Not in Florida? No problem! We treat a high volume of out of town patients , often only requiring 2-3 days to complete the surgery and follow-up care. For more information about our services, give us a call at (941) 894-6428.

While vasectomy reversal is the most common procedure to restore fertility for men who have undergone a vasectomy, there are circumstances where it makes sense to consider other surgical alternatives, such as sperm aspiration. With sperm aspiration, sperm is directly obtained from the epididymis through a needle guided by an operating microscope. This is actually the first step in ICSI, or intracytoplasmic sperm injection, which is paired with IVF, or in-vitro fertilization. This video shows you a complete look at the ICSI procedure, which may play a role in your family planning if your partner is also experiencing fertility issues.

If you want to weigh the pros and cons of vasectomy reversal and ICSI, Dr. Green at the Center for Vasectomy Reversal can help you make your decision. You can schedule a vasectomy reversal consultation with us in Sarasota by calling (941) 894-6428, or visit our website to learn more.

Both eating disorders and infertility in men are underrecognized, yet common health concerns; incidentally, the two can go hand in hand. Eating disorders can cause lasting damage to the body and may result in infertility in men. Often, eating disorders are only associated with women, but men account for about 5-15% of anorexia and bulimia cases and 35% of binge eating disorder cases. Additionally, because these numbers are only based on reported cases, they may actually be higher—many men will suffer in silence with eating disorders. For any man struggling with an eating disorder, seeking treatment is important for many reasons, including the preservation of future fertility. Continue reading to gain a better understanding of how eating disorders can be a cause of male infertility .

Weight Changes and Sperm Quality

Being over- or underweight can have an impact on sperm count as well as sperm motility and overall sperm quality. With anorexia nervosa, men may be dangerously below a healthy weight range, and they might also utilize risky solutions to continue battling body fat, such as diet pills, which can cause further harm to sperm count and quality.

Risks of Over-Exercising

Along with undereating or uncontrollable binge eating, eating disorders may lead to over-exercising, which can further diminish sperm count due to the consistently higher temperature of the testes during exercise.

Potential Nutritional Deprivation

Even with binge eating disorder, which is characterized by binging sessions where someone will consume large quantities of food in a single sitting, malnourishment is common. That’s because the body is not getting the balanced diet it needs to stay healthy, and decreased sperm production may be one of the consequences of that nutritional deprivation.

Dr. Joshua Green at the Center for Vasectomy Reversal is dedicated to providing resources for men struggling with infertility, including those who are looking for vasectomy reversal procedures in Sarasota. To learn more about our practice , give us a call at (941) 894-6428 or visit our website.