Predicted and actual pain intensity in patients undergoing vasectomy

Aim of the study
Vasectomy is considered to be the simplest and most effective method of contraception for men. Despite the preoperative consultation and access to all the information about having a vasectomy, the fear of pain may be one of the reasons for resignation from the procedure.

Material and methods
The study was conducted in a group of 200 patients undergoing total vasectomy, using the nonscalpel vasectomy technique, with needle-free local anaesthesia, at the Family Planning Centre. The research used convenience sampling, meaning that only available patients were included in the study. After the patients were made aware of the research objective, they gave their informed consent to participate in the study. Using a visual analogue pain rating scale (VAS), patients were asked to rate their predicted pain intensity before surgery and then to rate their actual pain intensity after surgery.

Results
The mean score of predicted pain intensity during the vasectomy procedure in the study group was 3.60, while pain intensity during the procedure was 2.10. Analysis showed that 83% of the men rated the pain intensity experienced during the procedure as less than or exactly the same as the pain intensity predicted before the procedure.

Conclusions
The actual pain experienced by the patient during the vasectomy procedure is significantly lower than that predicted before the procedure. This research provides helpful information for pre-surgery counselling, so that, of all the factors preventing men from making the decision to have a vasectomy, fear of pain is not one of them.