Does a vasectomy affect your libido?
At Dr Snip, we believe a vasectomy is an investment in your sex life. It’s your key to long-term, super-effective contraception – without the hormonal intervention of other options like the pill, or the inconvenience of condoms.
But it would all be pretty futile if your vasectomy adversely affected your sex drive, right? The whole point of pursuing a super-effective permanent contraception is to actually enjoy all the sex you’ll be having without risk of pregnancy.
If you’re worried about how the snip might affect your sex drive, you’re in good company. We often get questions about libido and sexual performance post-snip. The good news is your sex drive won’t suffer at all as a result of vasectomy; in fact, you might even find that your sexual appetite increases after your snip!
What is going on in your scrotum?
A lot happens in your reproductive organs: sperm and testosterone are key players when it comes to reproduction, and both are produced in the testes. However, they each have different roles, goals and journeys to complete within the body.
In a pre-vasectomy body, sperm travels along tubes (the vasa deferentia) from the testes through the shaft to exit the penis during ejaculation. If the sperm comes into contact with an ovum, this is when fertilisation leading to pregnancy can happen.
What does a vasectomy actually do?
Sperm is the genetic code required to fertilise an egg for pregnancy to occur. In simple terms, a vasectomy redirects sperm from the penis so it no longer exits the body during ejaculation.
You’ve likely seen sperm rendered as tadpole-like shapes ‘swimming’ in a liquid called semen in diagrams. Without sperm in the mix, reproduction can’t take place.
So, what happens to sperm after a vasectomy?
At Dr Snip, we perform open-ended vasectomies, which are associated with best patient outcomes and comfort levels.
In an open-ended vasectomy, we ‘snip’ the tube (vas deferens) and seal off the part of the tube that carries sperm to the penis. We opt to leave the other part, which connects to the testes, open-ended so as not to disrupt the delicate tissue and blood vessels in the area.
After a vasectomy, sperm travelling from the testes through to this open end is redirected back into the scrotum, where the body reabsorbs it with absolutely no adverse effects to you.
What about testosterone?
Both before and after a vasectomy, testosterone is absorbed directly into the bloodstream from the testes to perform these functions within the body:
- Promotes secondary male sexual characteristics, like body hair and low voice
- Stimulates sex drive and desire
- Triggers physical arousal, including erections, to prepare the body for intercourse
So, while testosterone does influence the context of intercourse – for example, the ability to sustain an erection – it doesn’t actually bring any baby-making ingredients to the table.
Your body will continue to produce testosterone as normal after your vasectomy. In fact, your vasectomy won’t disrupt testosterone production even a little bit!
Long-term physical impacts of vasectomy
After the initial vasectomy recovery, your sexual experience will look and feel much the same.
Semen, for example, is produced in the prostate gland, seminal vesicles and Cowper’s gland and not the testes. This means that when you ejaculate you’ll still produce liquid semen – only it will no longer contain sperm.
In more news you’ll love to hear, a vasectomy will have zero effect on your erections, sexual desire or performance in the boudoir – as these functions are all associated with testosterone.
Time to get excited
We’re pleased to report that we receive feedback all the time that people’s sex lives after a vasectomy actually improve, because there’s no longer anxiety around the consequences of an unintended pregnancy.
Vasectomy recovery is self-directed, and you’re free to enjoy sex again after your snip just as soon as you feel ready to do so!
Contact us today
Chat through your questions or arrange your appointment with Dr Snip by calling 1300 DR SNIP or enquiring online today.
