The Life Cycle of the Sperm after a Vasectomy: What is Normal, and What to be Concerned About

Generally speaking, a vasectomy leaves the patient physically unchanged except that the vas deferens, or the tube leading to the testes, is blocked. The testes themselves still produce sperm, but the sperm is unable to mix with the semen to help in the production of offspring.

One of the very first questions most often asked by male patients is what happens to the sperm after a vasectomy? The easiest answer to this is that when the sperm travels down the vas deferens, they are blocked from going to their normal destination and are re-absorbed into the body, or excreted out as waste. There should be no adverse affect on the male body during this time.

Another question that many men have is when they can begin having sexual intercourse again without having to worry about getting their partner pregnant. Because sperm after a vasectomy can still exist in the system beyond the blockage in the vas deferens for up to seven months, it is strongly recommended that an alternative birth control method for approximately eight months after the procedure is performed, or until sterilization can be confirmed.

Potential Complications

Like any other surgical procedure, there is always the possibility of complications arising from the sperm after a vasectomy. As discussed earlier, the testes will still produce sperm after the surgery, and the sperm produced after the vasectomy will be absorbed back into the body. The majority of the time, this does not pose a problem at all. However, there have been some cases where the sperm after a vasectomy will cause an immune reaction in the male patient. The sperm after a vasectomy usually do not come in contact with immune cells, so they do not usually illicit a response; however, breaches in the barriers that separate the immune cells from the sperm can occur, and anti-sperm antibodies can be developed.

Another complication sometimes associated with the sperm after a vasectomy is swelling of the testes after the surgery procedure. This disquieting symptom can and sometimes does occur on and off for the first year after the surgery is completed. This localized swelling has a number of causes, most of them having nothing to do with the sperm after a vasectomy. However, constant inflammation can be a sign of infection, either caused by the sperm, or other contaminates that might have been introduced during or after the procedure. If the swelling goes beyond what is considered normal, do not hesitate to consult your physician.