Blog/News

When it comes to a vasectomy…”We cater to cowards.”

Posted on by Georgia Vasectomy Reversal Center

Our office made T-shirts a few years back with “We cater to cowards” on the front. They were a big hit, however it happened on more than one occasion that someone asked, “Aren’t you making fun of men? Aren’t you going to make them mad at you?” Well…here’s the dirty little secret…it is no secret that men don’t make good patients in general and they don’t make good vasectomy patient’s in particular. They are unabashedly honest about not liking the idea of “being cut on down there.” So… no it doesn’t embarrass them “a tall” and the more things we can do to make the process pleasant and yes, less painful, the better.

For our vasectomy patients we offer a wide array of options to neutralize this “pain concern issue.”

  • A pre-med prescription of a sedative and a pain pill one hour before the procedure
  • If done in the office we use the No-needle No-scalpel technique (This means one small incision the size of a piece of rice that does not require a suture).
  • We have a fan in the room moving air around and this helps any anxiety.  We play music in the room louder than normal as a distraction. These are small things but part of a bigger plan to decrease any nervousness the patient might be experiencing…without voicing it. That’s right, not every anxious male patient is going to tell you he is anxious or worried. He may not tell us…but we know.
  • For the patient who “doesn’t want to know nothing” and just fall asleep and then wake up and it’s done…we have an accredited surgery center where the vasectomy can be done under I.V. general anesthesia.  Easily 65% of our patients prefer this if they are not significantly affected by cost.
  • We have special pricing that is fair and matches up with what the expense would have been if they had insurance for patients who are self pay or have high deductibles.
  • We mention “fair” because often times non insurance self pay patients, at some practices, are asked to pay more than what an insurance would allow.  We don’t do that.
  • It doesn’t hurt, no pun intended, that we have done thousands of vasectomies over our thirty years in practice and  continue to perform 12-15 a month at both our office and our surgery center.

A recent testimonial from a vasectomy patient:

I was very pleased with the entire process. Dr. McHugh fully educated me on the vasectomy and then performed the procedure perfectly. He made the entire experience easy and painless.

W.W. Gainesville, GA – Oct 06, 2018
The above testimony demonstrates what we at Northeast Georgia Urological Associates hope to achieve with each vasectomy we perform!
Call or email to schedule your vasectomy consultation 24/7 using the form below.

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Considering a vasectomy?

Posted on by Georgia Vasectomy Reversal Center

Concerned about a high deductible or being self-pay? How about concern about pain? Click here for video.

Call or email 24/7 to schedule consultation-we’ll make every effort to address your biggest concerns and …”get er done.”

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Gettin neutered vs. gettin fixed-there’s a difference.

Posted on by Georgia Vasectomy Reversal Center

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Did you know?

  • When a male dog is neutered he is having his testicles removed.
  • Testosterone and sperm are produced in the testicles, however only sperm goes out through the vas deferns.
  • Although produced in the testicles, testosterone goes out into the body through the blood system.
  • So…a vasectomy, which severs and occludes the vas tubes, prevents sperm from being in the ejaculate and does not affect the testosterone level.
  • Tell that to your friends at work who, upon hearing that you are having a vasectomy, that no, you won’t be having a voice like a girl. Now you know why.
  • After a vasectomy you are infertile, not impotent.
  • Because the testosterone remains the same you have no change in your libido.
  • It takes about 30 ejaculations to clear the vas tube of sperm beyond the vasectomy site so you will be advised to use protection until the urologist confirms the absence of sperm by microscopic evaluation or a home kit called spermcheck.com which can be ordered online.

In case you have other questions…below is an informative and slightly humorous podcast by Dr. McHugh entitled Vasectomy 101 (Everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask.)

Considering a vasectomy?  Contact us for a consultation. We have special pricing for patients with a high deductible as well as those who are self-pay.

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Natural remedies for overactive bladder symptoms.

Posted on by Georgia Vasectomy Reversal Center

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Physicians are often accused of “throwing medicines at a problem” and there is truth in this. However, most doctors use medicines as an adjunct to complement measures a patient can take to help urinary issues. This article goes into things “the patient can do” to help the issue and make a medicine, if one chooses to take it, more effective or not necessary…at all.

From Medical News Today-This is a good starting point in the management of OAB symptoms.

Common questions about a vasectomy answered by Dr. McHugh on Vasectomy.com-? Persistent sperm.

Posted on by Georgia Vasectomy Reversal Center

My vasectomy failed. My doctor recommended another procedure with a larger incision under general anesthesia. Should I be concerned?

I had a vasectomy 6 months ago and have done 4 post sperm samples (following time lapse between samples and # of ejaculations). After the last, the doctor himself called to say there were still active sperm. He recommended another procedure with a larger incision, and this time under general anesthesia. It’s a well known hospital and experienced urologist. I already know this is fairly uncommon, but should I be concerned? If he didn’t cut the right thing, what did he cut?

I would not be concerned. Unfortunately, it happens that sperm persists or there is early re-canalization. The larger incision and anesthesia is just a precaution to be sure that everything is correctly identified, that you are comfortable, and that if more dissection is needed, he’ll be prepared. It is unusual for an experienced urologist to not identify the vas correctly as it has a definitive character on palpation.

Other Q and A on vasectomy.com

Something different: A recommendation for a book to read.

Posted on by Georgia Vasectomy Reversal Center

gentleman in moscow

No, there are no hidden urological messages in this book…it is just delightful. All of the Russian stuff circulating around in the news has piqued my interest in Russian history. This book is historical fiction and about a Count who in 1918 or so has been banned to live out the rest of his life…in a hotel. Just as I thought “Boys in the Boat” would be too limited in scope to enjoy and was wrong, so too was my first impression of this book.

Not since “A Man Called Ove” has a book captured my imagination and has been informative as well. If you like a bit of history and want to go a little deeper into Russian history than you’ll get on the news, then let me assure you that you will cherish this book.

Don’t like to read? I listen to books while I’m in the care or when I walk or ride a bike…so there is no excuse.

Enjoy!

Popular question: Does a vasectomy cause prostate cancer?

Posted on by Georgia Vasectomy Reversal Center

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Vasectomy Not Associated With Prostate Cancer

Urology – February 28, 2009 – Vol. 25 – No. 04

There is no association between prostate cancer and age at vasectomy or years since vasectomy.

Article Reviewed: Vasectomy and the Risk of Prostate Cancer. Holt SK, Salinas CA, Stanford JL: J Urol; 2008;180 (December): 2565-2568.

Background: The majority of the literature now has shown no association between vasectomy and prostate cancer. The effect of vasectomy on men with a family history of prostate cancer or on those who underwent a vasectomy at a young age or had an extended period of time since the procedure has been poorly studied due to small sample sizes and short study follow-up.

Objective: To assess the risk of prostate cancer in men by age and length of time to exposure from vasectomy to disease.

Design: Population-based, prostate cancer case-controlled study.

Participants: 1327 men aged 35 to 74 years residing in King County, Washington, with a diagnosis of prostate cancer.

Methods: Cases of prostate cancer were identified from the SEER database for this population. Structured in-person interviews were conducted. Eligible controls were identified by random digit telephone dialing. Analysis based on prostate cancer Gleason score and stage was performed. Analysis was also performed based on demographics, age, prostate cancer screening history (within the last 5 years), family history of prostate cancer, and vasectomy parameters.

Results: 1327 men were eligible for study from the SEER database; 1001 completed the personal questionnaire. In total, 1340 controls were identified, of which 942 were interviewed. The control population showed that men who had undergone vasectomy were older, white, married, non-smokers with higher income and education, and had undergone PSA screening. Of men with prostate cancer and controls, 36% had undergone a vasectomy. Mean number of years since vasectomy in cases and controls was 21.1 years. No significant association was seen between prostate cancer and vasectomy status, age at vasectomy, years since vasectomy, or year of vasectomy. There was no evidence of risk estimates across vasectomy parameters. Risk did not change if men with prostate cancer within 2 years of vasectomy and controls with no PSA screening within 5 years (n=136) were excluded.

Conclusions:

No association was found between prostate cancer and vasectomy, even in men who had a vasectomy performed at a young age or had an extended period of time since vasectomy.

Reviewer’s Comments: This paper is a well-conducted, large case-control study that answers the concern about possible limitations of previous work that reported the lack of association between prostate cancer and vasectomy. This criticism often indicated inadequate follow-up since vasectomy to make this claim. In this study, average time since vasectomy in cases of prostate cancer and controls was 21 years. Multiple variables were looked at including vasectomy in the face of prostate cancer family history and screening. This large study should end the criticism on previous work that did not answer the question of prostate cancer and time from vasectomy. (Reviewer–Ajay K. Nangia, MBBS).