Absence from work following vasectomy.

This study investigated absence from work after vasectomy in 90 men who underwent the procedure on an outpatient basis. At the follow up visit 7 days later 37 of the 80 employed patients (46.2%) revealed that they took time off from work following vasectomy. The mean number of days missed was 5.12 days (range 1-10 days). When expressed in terms of all patients in the series the mean number of days lost was 2.37 days. The main reason given for absence from work was pain or discomfort (27 patients). The majority of men taking time off were from social class 3. Patients were more likely to take time off work when the procedure was performed at the beginning of a week. 29 patients had surgery under local anesthesia and 61 received general anesthesia; there was no significant difference between these 2 groups in absence from work. These results suggest that the assumption of an immediate return to work after vasectomy may be inappropriate for a substantial number of patients. If patients were advised to take 1 day off work following surgery they might be less inclined to take more time.