Phil and his wife decided that they didn’t want to have more than two children to help ease the burden of population growth on the planet. I chose a smaller family primarily so that I could still pursue my life goals and other hobbies, as well as be a fully present father.” – Anonymous, UK “I opted for a vasectomy through the NHS three months after fathering one daughter at the age of 40. For these men, a vasectomy is a valid choice of contraception that enables them to plan the size of their family: Other men decide along with their partners to be sterilised after they have had children. Vasectomies should be publicly promoted on the NHS – unfortunately, I didn’t have my vasectomy in the UK.” – Paul, New Zealand An Act of Love Men also need to be able to take control and responsibility of their bodies more easily. They should be normalised as lifestyle choices. Much more needs to be made of the benefits and ease of vasectomies. Overall, it was an easy experience and I feel much more comfortable with my sex life since then. “I had a vasectomy and found it painless, apart from a little prick (the anaesthetic) and it was only mildly uncomfortable for a few days. Paul found his experience painless and agrees that vasectomies should be normalised and more readily available: Men should be encouraged and supported socially, culturally, and even financially, to get a vasectomy.” – Albert, USA It was the single best decision of my life. “I chose to have no children, and I got a vasectomy twenty-five years ago. I have never, not once, regretted my decision.” – Allan, MaltaĪlbert feels that the procedure should be encouraged: “I have no children, and I got a vasectomy to take my fair share of responsibility and ensure that it stays that way. The vasectomy was done, and I have never regretted it.” – Anonymous, UK There was no resistance, just simply the questions: “Do you have children? Do you want children? Do you want to freeze your swimmers?” I answered “No.” to all. For these men, it allows them to take ownership of their reproductive choices and removes the worry of accidental conception. Some men undergo a vasectomy after making the choice to be childfree, and they often report that they do not regret the decision to be sterilised. This rate increases to 10% in the Global North, reaching up to 20% in a small number of countries. On average, less than 0.1% of men have had vasectomies in the world’s 69 least developed countries. Vasectomies do not affect sex drives and men that undergo the method can continue to enjoy healthy and satisfying intimate relationships.ĭespite these perks, vasectomy remains one of the least common contraceptive methods globally, while tubal ligation (female sterilisation), a more complex, riskier procedure, remains the most common. For many men and their partners, the procedure is life-changing, removing the need to worry about unplanned pregnancies or having condoms at hand, and relieving the burden that women are traditionally expected to shoulder throughout their reproductive lives. This removes sperm from semen during ejaculation and ensures that a woman’s egg is not fertilised. Usually carried out under local anaesthetic within just a few minutes, the tubes that carry a man’s sperm (called vas deferens) are cut or sealed, preventing the sperm from entering the urethra. A vasectomy is 99% effective, and considered permanent. Vasectomies are standard surgical procedures. Although the first-known vasectomy was performed on a dog in 1823, vasectomies emerged during the Second World War as a form of birth control for men and have since become more widely available, with the procedure covered under national health insurance in some countries. It’s 2020, yet there are still only two methods of contraception for men: male condoms and vasectomies (male sterilisation). Population Matters Campaigner Katrina Dixon gathered testimonies from men across the world about their personal experiences of getting “the snip”. World Vasectomy Day, which falls on 20 November this year, is an annual celebration of the men who choose a vasectomy to help share the burden of contraception and responsible family planning.
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