The acute recovery period from vasectomy is generally over the course of one week, with return to nearly all usual activities by the end of that time. Tenderness and swelling of the underlying surgical site are mild if present. They are usually at their worst at about the second or third day after the procedure, as you resume work and undertake more usual activity. Sensations are often felt more in the groin or lower abdomen, than in the scrotum, and this is normal. During a further period of a month or two, intermittent sensations can be perceived, while additional healing takes place.
Serious complications are rare.
About 6 in 1000 will develop epididymitis , or inflammation of the epididymis , a structure located where the vas deferens leaves the testicle. This resolves over the course of about one or two weeks. A similar proportion will develop a hematoma , or deep bruise, which prolongs the acute recovery phase to three or four weeks, but has no long-term significance. The incidence of infection is rare, and for the most part easily treated with oral antibiotics. About 1 in 10,000 develop a syndrome of mild, achy pain in one side of the scrotum or the other, most commonly due to a sperm granuloma .