I am sure, you are aware of the two permanent birth control methods—tubal ligation and vasectomy.
For those who skipped bio classes, let me give you a brief run-through.
Tubal ligation is when a woman’s fallopian tubes are tied or severed which prevents the eggs from reaching the uterus.
Vasectomy is for the men, the vas deferens are cut and tied so that the sperm won’t enter into the urethra.
So now you know about the (sterile) birds and the bees, let’s get to the topic at hand.
Most men will feel squeamish at the thought of going through a vasectomy.
So when a married couple decides to seek a permanent form of contraception, typically when they are done having kids, the wife would most likely take one for the team.
I mean, most guys would feel that their manhood is in jeopardy but hey, not for 45-year-old Alvin Chong and 34-year-old William Ong.
They both were in their early thirties when they went under the knife.
William’s story
The father of two went for the procedure “out of love” for his wife.
Now, that is something we don’t see often.
He also did not want her to shoulder the burden of birth control alone.
“Birth control doesn’t always have to fall on the woman. My wife has already gone through pregnancy and childbirth. (Going for a vasectomy) is my way of loving her. Furthermore, we’re certain we don’t want more children due to affordability issues,” he said.
They will be welcoming another child in June—yes, an unplanned conception which happened several weeks before the scheduled vasectomy.
He also mentioned that he does not feel less of a man, in fact, his wife felt that he was “man enough to do it”.
Alvin’s story
The father of three teens mentioned that a vasectomy was a straightforward solution once he was done with having children.
“From my consultation at the polyclinic till the day of the operation, the doctors kept asking me over and over again if I was certain about going ahead with it. I got quite fed up and told them to ‘just give it to me’. It is a lot easier for me to do the procedure than for my wife to remember to take her (birth control) pills,” he said.
The last point he made, if you think about it hard enough, is very true.
Myths about vasectomy
While it is still not the norm in today’s society, the numbers are growing—in NUH, there has been a steady increase, from 21 procedures in 2015 to 38 in 2017 and CHG performs 20 such procedures annually.
So, with this growing (and practical) trend, I am sure you have a lot of questions.
Sex drive is not affected—phew!
According to Dr Ng of CGH, sexual function or libido is dependent on the male hormone testosterone.
Yeah, so don’t worry, you will be still a healthy red-blooded man.
“This (testosterone) is produced by the testes and secreted directly into the blood supply of the testis, which remains intact (after a vasectomy),” he added.
He also stated that the majority of the fluids come from seminal vesicles and the prostate gland, which are beyond the point where the vasa deferentia are cut.
Even Alvin said: “After the procedure, you get the whole experience without the effect (of a potential pregnancy).”
Sounds like a dream come true for a man who doesn’t like kids.
The icing on the cake has to be that vasectomy is one of the most effective forms of birth control.
Dr Ng said that a vasectomy has the lowest failure rate (0.1 percent) where a tubal ligation has a failure rate of 0.3%.
If you were wondering, the failure rate for condoms and oral contraceptives are 25% and 1% respectively.
Can you reverse it?
It is plausible but according to Dr Ng, the reversal procedure cannot ensure that you will be able to regain your fertility.
“The longer the reversal procedure is performed after the vasectomy, the lower the chances of conception,” said Dr Ng.
Beyond 15 years after a vasectomy, the chance of conceiving naturally following a vasectomy reversal drops to 44 per cent,” he added.
With that said, your requests to undergo the said surgery will be turned down or deferred if you’re uncertain or too young.
Now, this might not be your thing.
After all not every man can be like Alvin or William when needed. 😉
Since you’re here, why not watch a video about a guy who lodged a Police report here in Singapore because he was friendzoned? Seriously. Here, watch it and do remember to share it (and also subscribe to Goody Feed YouTube channel)!
This article was first published on goodyfeed.com
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