Here is everything you need to know about looking after yourself post Snip

Ice your bits immediately (or as soon as possible). We have given you an instant ice pack to use while you are travelling home, but you might need to upgrade to the frozen peas when you can. Keep icing on and off for 2 hours after your Snip. 

The anaesthetic will wear off, so it is important to take the Ibuprofen we have given you to reduce any discomfort. It will also reduce inflammation and help speed up recovery. We have given you one week’s supply of Ibuprofen meaning you can take 2 tablets every 8 hours with some food for a full 7 days following your Snip. It’s important that you take the Ibuprofen for the full 7 days regardless of whether you experience any discomfort. If you can’t take anti-inflammatories, like Ibuprofen, please take Paracetamol instead. 

Following your Snip, make sure you take the remainder of the day off to rest and relax.  It’s even all good if you wanna relax with a celebratory drink; drinking alcohol after your Snip is not prohibited. However, no strenuous exercise for at least one week. So, if you have a very physical job, you will need to be on light duties during that first week’s recovery. Even if after a couple of days you are feeling right as rain, please continue to avoid anything strenuous for that first week so you don’t impact your recovery. After that, listen to your body and use your common sense. You can resume normal activity after that point as you see fit. 

Showering is no problem following your Snip, but baths, pools and/or spas are not approved until your wound is fully closed and healed (which can take up to three weeks). We don’t want any bugs finding their way into the wound so please avoid submerging your body in water. 

The small keyhole that we create to Snip your sperm tubes will remain open for 1 to 3 weeks after the procedure. This should cause no issues and will heal up nicely; virtually no scarring. You may notice the wound weeping or seeping a small amount of clear fluid in the days just after your Snip, but this is totally normal.

On rare occasions your doctor might need to apply a suture (stitch) to the keyhole wound. If this happens, your doctor will let you know. The suture will always be a dissolvable one and will come out in its own time (up to 3 months). It can feel a bit itchy as it’s healing and once healed may leave a little lump on the skin. This is all normal. 

You don’t need to do anything to look after the wound (or suture), and you should continue to feel better each day. If you stop progressing in a positive upward trend, then that’s when we want to hear from you.

Sex is a-OK (and is not included in the ‘strenuous exercise’ category). You can have sex and/or masturbate whenever you would like - just keep it gentle during that first week. Erections and ejaculation won’t cause any harm. Just a little FYI, blood in the semen is a normal occurrence in the first few weeks after your Snip, so don’t be alarmed.
You actually need to ‘clear the pipes’ quite frequently after your Snip to clear out any pesky sperm lingering around the joint.

The only thing to remember is that you must use contraception until you have been cleared at the three-month mark. You cannot rely on the vasectomy until you have received a clear sperm check.

You must test your semen at the three-month mark. This can be done via a lab test, or you can purchase a Sperm Check Kit from us so you can perform an at home test. 

Only once you have received a clear result can you be bareback for life and rely on your Snip for contraception.

For general post-Snip concerns or queries, please call us on 0800 377 647. Our office is open between 8.30am and 5.pm Monday to Friday.  For urgent after-hours medical queries, please call us on 0800 633 867.