Vasectomy Fainting: Is It Common To Pass Out During A Vasectomy Procedure?
September 27, 2024
Fainting occurs as a response to physical or psychological stress. Vasectomy can cause both types of stress.
It can be common for patients to pass out during a vasectomy procedure or anytime within the first several hours of having a vasectomy. Vasectomy fainting happens in approximately 10% of patients.
Fainting occurs when your brain does not get enough oxygenated blood.
When brain cells are temporarily deprived of oxygen, the brain cells temporarily shut down and perform a system ‘reboot’. This system reboot causes you to ‘pass out’.
Once a person faints they will usually recover quickly. The majority of patients will be totally fine after they recover.
We like to inform our patients of all vasectomy risks…both serious and non-serious risks.
Vasectomy fainting is a risk of vasectomy. Although fainting during a vasectomy is common, pain is not the cause of fainting. Most patients who faint report no pain prior to passing out.
In our experience, if someone is going to pass out from their vasectomy it is usually within the first five minutes of having their vasectomy completed.
Vasectomy fainting: Why does it happen?
Vasectomy fainting happens as a result of reflex syncope. This is more commonly known as vasovagal syncope. Reflex syncope is the exact opposite of the ‘flight or fight’ response.
During reflex syncope, your brain reflexively responds to a stress by lowering both your heart rate and blood pressure simultaneously. For some people this reflex is no more controllable than being able to stop from jerking your hand back after you touch a searing, hot object. Some people have little control over their reflexive vasovagal syncope response.
The brain controls your body by both stimulation and suppression. Often this happens at the same time. You can better understand how the brain works by using the analogy of a person who drives a car by both stepping on the break and accelerator at the same time. We all know these types of drivers!
If you put equal pressure on both the brake and accelerator and the car stops.
More pressure on the accelerator and the car speeds up. More pressure on the brake and the car slows down. If you takes your foot off the break then the car speeds off.
If you take your foot off the accelerator then the car stops.
This is exactly how the human brain controls the primitive (parasympathetic) nervous system. The parasympathetic nerves control the heart, blood vessels, intestines and other internal organs.
Flight or Fight: “All accelerator and no brakes”
The flight or fight response is how the human brain responds to an instant threat. The brain instantly ‘takes the foot off the brake and pushes the accelerator’.
During the ‘flight or fight response’, you experience an imminent threat. Your body instantly releases epinephrine and other stress hormones into the blood stream.
Your heart rate speeds up and your blood pressure increases.
The body uses all of its natural stimulants to defend itself against the threat. Your muscles respond in such a way that you can either fight or run to protect yourself. It is survival of the fittest at its best.
To be clear, the flight or fight response does happen with vasectomy but it does not cause you to faint. Rather it has the opposite effect. It makes you want to run.
The flight or fight response usually happens the moment you walk in the door for your vasectomy appointment.
Reflex syncope: “More brakes and less accelerator”
Reflex syncope is how the brain responds to stress when you are not in grave danger. Reflex syncope is a more subtle response to stress.
During a stressful event, the brain becomes preoccupied with how to deal with the event. The brain slowly starts to step on the brakes and slowly starts to release pressure on the accelerator. Your body begins to slow down. Your heart rate becomes slower and your blood pressure gradually begins to decrease. This can happen gradually and without your awareness…until it is too late.
During reflex syncope, your heart rate will slow down and your blood pressure will drop.
When you experience a simultaneous decrease in heart rate and blood pressure then your brain does not get adequate blood flow.
Your brain becomes temporarily deprived of oxygen carrying red blood cells. You will start to have profuse sweating, ringing in the ears, tingling in your hands, tunnel vision, pain in your stomach, and/or intense nausea.
When the brain cells are deprived of oxygen the cells cannot metabolize glucose for energy. The lack of oxygen and impaired glucose metabolism causes the brain to ‘short circuit’ and perform a system reset. This is when you faint…or pass out.
This is very similar to when you get a ‘glitch in the operating system of your computer.’ Things freeze up…you reboot your computer and everything restarts and works as normal. Passing out is the brain’s way of rebooting.
As soon as you lie down, your heart can easily pump more blood to your brain because it is not fighting the effects of gravity. As the brain gets more oxygen, normal brain function returns, blood pressure increases, and awareness of your surroundings begins to return.
Is it common to pass out during a vasectomy?
To be clear, most patients (over 90%) will not pass out during their vasectomy. For people with a history of fainting, it can be common to pass out during or soon after a vasectomy procedure.
We estimate approximately 1 out of every 10 patients will pass out as a result of vasectomy.
A few will pass out on the table while laying down during their actual vasectomy procedure. It is really hard to pass out while lying down, but we have observed this in many of our patients. Most patients don’t pass out during the procedure but will pass out within the first several minutes of the completion of the procedure.
Most patients who pass out will report not having felt any pain during their vasectomy.
Who is at risk of fainting during a vasectomy?
Anyone can faint during a stressful experience. No one is immune. You don’t always have control over a vasovagal reaction.
We have observed fainting is more common in two groups of patients:
- Those who do not go to the doctor very often.
- Those who have had traumatic medical experiences when they were younger.
People who do not go to the doctor often are not conditioned to the stresses of a medical environment. Women, in general, faint far less than men in medical situations.
Women frequently access the health care system. They get Pap smears, annual blood work, have babies, and c-sections etc. As a result of repetitive exposure to stressful health care experiences, some patients can condition their bodies to break the vasovagal response.
People who have traumatic medical experiences previously, especially as young children, often carry those conditioned PTSD responses with them. Stressful medical experiences often cause them to relive their prior experiences. These patients are at higher risk of fainting during stressful medical procedures such as vasectomy.
Is passing out during vasectomy bad?
Passing out during vasectomy is not bad. Most patients are ‘out’ for less than 10 seconds and they quickly recover and have no lasting effects other than personal embarrassment over losing control.
Passing out after vasectomy is only bad if you were to hit your head when falling or if you faint while driving and have a car accident.
- If you were to pass out during the vasectomy, we make sure you are stable, don’t roll off the exam table, and complete your vasectomy procedure.
- If you pass out after getting up from your vasectomy then we try to protect you from falling and hitting your head. We lay you in a recliner until you recover.
- If you were to pass out after you have left our office then it would be important for you not to fall and hit your head or, if you are driving a car, get into a car accident.
It is rare for a patient to pass out after they have completed their vasectomy and left the office. Most fainting episodes happen within the first five minutes of completing the vasectomy.
Most patients who faint report having NO PAIN during their vasectomy procedure. Passing out is embarrassing but not bad as long as you do not hit your head or get into a car accident.
Do you need a driver for A His Choice Vasectomy?
We do not require patients to have a driver for a His Choice Vasectomy. Why?
Requiring a driver is a big barrier for many patients. It is hard enough for one person to make an appointment let alone two people. Usually the spouse is the detonated driver and if they have young children to care for it is more challenging for them to drive and be a care taker to both the vasectomy patient and the children.
Although fainting is always a concern, we have made the following observations.
- Most patients will not pass out during vasectomy.
- If patients do pass out most will do so within the first 3 to 5 minutes of completing their vasectomy.
- Most fainting episodes will not result in any adverse outcomes.
- It is rare to pass out after they have left the office.
As a result of the above observations, we believe it unfair to penalize all patients because of the fear of an outcome that will only be experienced be a few patients and without any significant complications.
Who should bring a driver with them for vasectomy?
We recommend you bring a driver if you have a history of fainting during stressful events: donating blood, getting a vaccination, sight of blood, having a minor medical procedures or a history of a prior fainting event.
We recommend you bring a driver if you are uncertain of your response.
How can you prevent fainting during vasectomy?
We are not 100% certain you can prevent a fainting episode. Our only recommendations would be to make sure you wear comfortable clothing, eat, and drink before your vasectomy procedure. We also recommend you not medicate yourself with anxiety reducing medications or alcohol or marijuana before your vasectomy.
Eating before your procedure. We recommend you eat as you normally would before your vasectomy.
Some patients will not eat because they are aware not eating is a standard practice before most medical procedures. Vasectomy is a minor office based procedure performed under local anesthesia. We do not require our patients to avoid eating or drinking before vasectomy.
If you do not eat or drink you will have lower blood sugars. Lower blood sugars could increase the risk of having a vagal episode.
Drinking before your procedure. We recommend you drink plenty of fluids before your vasectomy appointment. Do not drink so much that you are going to have to frequently go to the bathroom….but we do not want you to restrict your fluid intake.
Normal liquid intake before your procedure will further increase your blood sugar and make sure you are not dehydrated. Dehydration will contribute to lower blood pressure. If you are well-hydrated this will minimize the chance you could have low blood pressure.
If you do not keep your hydration up before a vasectomy procedure you are likely to be more dehydrated and have lower blood pressure.
Don’t rush out of our office. After your vasectomy we will review your post-operative instructions. This takes some time.
If necessary we will place you in a recliner. We also recommend you hang out in our waiting room or just sit in your car before leaving our premises.
Take time in our office or rest in your car in our parking lot before you attempt to drive home.
Self-medication. Some patients will, unknowingly to us, self medicate with anxiety medications they have access to, alcohol, or marijuana. These substances may help you with anxiety but they do not decrease the risk of you passing out. Not only do they not decrease the risk of you passing out but they also impair the body’s ability to self-recover. It is harder to increase your heart rate and blood pressure when you take these medications. Especially if you take too much and/or you are not a regular user of these substances.
Do not self-medicate with these substances before your vasectomy. This is especially true if you do not take anti-anxiety medications on a regular basis.
Vasectomy: Harder between the ears than the knees!
We jokingly like to say for many patients the thought of having a vasectomy is often worse than the actual experience of having a vasectomy.
Vasectomy, for many, is more painful between the ears (the thought) than it is between the knees (the actual scrotum).
As a result of this increased mental stress, vasectomy patients can experience reflex vasovagal syncope.
We do see patients who faint after vasectomy on a weekly basis. We have observed that patients who are most likely to faint are those who have a prior history of fainting in a medical environment.
We believe the people who are most likely to faint know who they are! They know they have anxiety or fear of doctor’s offices. Interesting, these patients also are more likely to book their vasectomy appointments the farthest out and also the first appointment slots of the day!
Most patients will travel to their His Choice Vasectomy procedure without a driver. So if you can’t find a driver don’t feel bad or like you are alone.
If you have a history of fainting or are uncertain then we recommend you bring a person with you to drive you home in the event you have a fainting episode.
His Choice Vasectomy: Minimally invasive vasectomy
His Choice vasectomy is a minimally invasive vasectomy technique. A needle and scalpel are not required.
With a minimally invasive technique you will not need ice or frozen peas. Your pain should be minimal…both during the procedure and as you recover. You can return to normal activity, including sexual activity, 48 hours after your procedure.
To find a His Choice vasectomy provider near you visit: His Choice Minimally Invasive Vasectomy
We do not require a driver to have a His Choice Vasectomy.
Although fainting can happen, this usually will happen in patients who have had fainting events with other stressful medical procedures. If this is you then we recommend you bring a driver with you on the day of your vasectomy procedure.
