Welcome to Urology Services
Urology care at Northwestern Medical Center focuses on conditions of the urinary tract and male reproductive system. Dr. Kevan Sternberg provides evaluation and treatment for a full range of urologic concerns, including prostate conditions, urinary symptoms, and kidney stones.
Care is tailored to each patient—from lifestyle and medication management to advanced procedural options when needed.
Are you experiencing symptoms of an enlarged prostate?
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), also called an enlarged prostate, is a common condition that can make urination more difficult as men get older. Symptoms may include:
- Weak urine stream
- Frequent urination, especially at night
- Trouble starting or emptying the bladder
- Sudden urges to urinate
- Feeling like the bladder is not fully empty
How BPH is evaluated
Our urology team evaluates your symptoms, overall health, and quality of life to better understand what treatment may help. This may include:
- A discussion about your symptoms and medical history
- Urine and bladder testing
- Prostate evaluation or imaging when needed
BPH treatment options
Many men improve with lifestyle changes or medications that help relax or shrink the prostate. A procedure may be recommended when:
- Symptoms continue to affect quality of life
- Medications are no longer working well
- Side effects become difficult to manage
- Patients prefer not to stay on long-term medication
- Catheter use is still needed
Northwestern Medical Center offers medication treatments and several minimally invasive and surgical treatment options for BPH, including Aquablation therapy—an advanced, robotically guided treatment that uses a heat-free waterjet to remove excess prostate tissue. As one of only two hospitals in the region offering Aquablation therapy, Northwestern Medical Center is proud to provide advanced BPH care close to home.
For more information, help with a referral, or to make an appointment, please call 802-524-0719 or fill out our form below.
Please note: The majority of our services require a referral from your primary care provider. Vasectomies can be scheduled directly with us, no referral required.
Key services
- Aquablation
- Bladder cancer treatment
- Blood in urine (Hematuria)
- Endourology
- Enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia)
- Erectile dysfunction
- Incontinence treatment
- Kidney cancer
- Kidney disorder treatment
- Kidney stones
- Metabolic stone prevention
- Prostate cancer treatment
- Urinary tract infection
- Vasectomies
Please reach out for more information or to schedule an appointment:
- Individuals require a referral from a primary care provider to be seen by a urologist for most concerns. If you’d like to be evaluated, we can walk you through the process of asking for a referral from your primary care provider.
- Vasectomies do not require a referral from your primary care provider. Please contact us directly or fill out the form below and we can walk you through scheduling the procedure and what to expect.
Call us at or fill out the form below:
Telemedicine
NMC offers telemedicine visits for a variety of services, making it easy to receive high-quality care from the providers you know and trust—right from home. When scheduling your appointment, we’ll let you know if a virtual visit is an option and provide simple instructions for connecting through NMC’s Patient Portal Virtual Visit feature.
To learn more about the benefits of telemedicine and read frequently asked questions, click here.
Meet our providers
FAQs about vasectomies
A vasectomy is a minor operation that makes a male permanently sterile (unable to father a child). The doctor cuts and blocks two tiny tubes (the vas deferens) in the scrotum. After the tubes are cut, sperm produced in the testicles can no longer travel through these tubes to mix with semen from the prostate and seminal vesicles. Semen is still produced and ejaculated with intercourse, but there is no sperm in it after the vasectomy.
A vasectomy can be performed in your doctor's office. Before the surgery, a local pain-killer will be used to make your scrotum numb. Your doctor will then make a small opening in the front of the scrotum. Through this small opening, your doctor gently lifts out each vas deferens and cuts it. The flow of sperm is interrupted by sealing the loose ends of the tubes. The procedure usually takes only 30 minutes and causes little pain.
After the vasectomy, you should rest for 48 hours. Most males can return to work on the third day. You will have a very small scar on the scrotum, which will be nearly invisible when it is healed completely.
A vasectomy, as with any surgery, has some risks. However, most males have no problems. Most problems that may occur are not serious and can be treated. Problems that may occur include the following:
- swelling or bruising of the scrotum
- minor infection around the puncture site
- a pea-sized lump on the testicular cord
No, you won't be sterile right away. Wait until your doctor tells you that your semen is free of sperm—usually about 12 weeks after the surgery. You must continue to use another form of birth control until that time! A vasectomy is more successful and costs less than the surgery women have that makes them sterile (called a tubal ligation).
No. A vasectomy won't change your sexual ability or pleasure because it does not involve any of the nerves involved in sexual activity. However, some males report a better sex life because they don't worry about an unwanted pregnancy.