Trojan Condoms

VASECTOMIES

Vasectomies have been around for a long time. The first study into the effects of litigating a man’s sperm-carrying tubes, the vas deferens, was published in 1830, in London. The procedure started to be regularly performed for family planning purposes in the USA in the 1940s. In 1954, India launched the first vasectomy program on a national scale as a means to control its over-population problem, but Vasectomies did not come into common use until the late 1960s in the majority of western countries.

Vasectomy is a simple surgical procedure. It is the safest, most reliable form of sterilization. Yet it still seems to be the farthest things from many men’s minds when thinking about birth control methods. In all cultures, men grow up believing that their masculinity depends on their genitals. Their general reluctance to have that part of their body interfered with is therefore understandable.

The Procedure

A vasectomy is a quick surgical procedure that takes about 30 minutes and is performed using a local anesthetic. One or two incisions are made in the scrotum to reach the vas deferens, which are operated on one at a time. They are cut, then sutured, cauterized or clipped. In a ‘no scalpel’ vasectomy method, a special forceps is used to make just one tiny puncture in the scrotum, and no sutures are necessary. Another form of vasectomy, known as “Vasclip” was launched in the U.S. in 2003. In this procedure, a clip, about the size of a grain of rice, is placed over the vas deferens to seal it (instead of cutting it).

All vasectomies have the same result: the man becomes sterile because the sperm is kept out of the seminal fluid. The testes continue to produce sperm, and a man continues to ejaculate fluid. The only missing ingredient in the ejaculate is the sperm, which is stopped in the vas deferens at the point where the vasectomy occurred, and absorbed back into the body with no ill effects. Sperm make up about 1% of a man’s ejaculate, so there is no difference in volume.

A man goes home on the same day after a vasectomy, and can go back to work one or two days later. Since sperm is still present in a man’s system immediately after he has had a vasectomy, the World Health Organization recommends that couples continue to use a reliable alternative method of contraception (Tojan condoms, for example) for the first three months following the procedure. A semen analysis must also be done about twelve weeks after the vasectomy to confirm that no sperm is present. Between 10 and 15 ejaculations are usually required to clear the ducts of residual sperm.

Vasectomy Costs

Although prices vary regionally, vasectomy costs in the U.S. are between $250 and $1000, and are partially or completely covered by health care insurance.

Effectiveness

Vasectomies are the most reliable and effective means of male contraception available today. Nevertheless, there is no guarantee that vasectomies will always be 100% effective. Failures can occur either because the operation itself was unsuccessful, or because the tubes grew back together – but reports of such failures are extremely rare. The U.S. Agency for International Development states that failure rates for vasectomies are between 0.2 and 0.4 percent, and the Center for Disease Control has estimated the failure rate at 11 per 1000, over a period of two years.

Side Effects

Major complications are extremely rare, and there are no long-term health risks. Some minor side effects are:

• Pain (treated with mild analgesics, doesn’t last for more than a few days)
• Infection (swelling and temperature, consult your physician)
• Granulomas (small lumps that develop as a result of sperm leakage into the scrotum, they can be sensitive and are treated with anti-inflammatory drugs)
• Abscesses (rare, result of infection)
• Erectile dysfunction or decreased sexual drive (mostly psychological in nature, counseling is the answer).

Who is getting vasectomies – and why?

Because many vasectomies in the U.S. are performed in private clinics, it is difficult to obtain exact statistics on the subject. A number of surveys and telephone questionnaires suggest that about 500,000 vasectomies are performed every year, and that approximately 11% of the population relies on vasectomies as their primary means of birth control. A report published by the Department of Health and Human Services in 2005 listed the top four methods of birth control used in the U.S. as follows: the Pill (28%), Tubal Litigation (23%), Condoms (17%) and vasectomy (16%).

Apparently, the prevalence of vasectomies increases along with education and income. Surveys indicate that the majority of men receiving vasectomies are married or co-habiting, white, and educated beyond high school. Less than ten percent of surveyed samples had incomes of less than $25,000 and 81% of them paid for the procedure through private insurance or health care plans.

Most men report that they chose vasectomies over other contraceptive methods because sterilization is the most secure means of preventing pregnancy. Many of these men chose vasectomy over tubal litigation (female sterilization) because it is the safer, simpler, and less costly.

Are Vasectomies Reversible?

Vasectomy is permanent sterilization. Nevertheless, a reversal procedure that may restore fertility to some men, Vasovasostomy, does exists. The chances of reversal are at best 70% if the procedure is done within the first year after a vasectomy, dropping by 10% a year after that. Fifteen years or more after a vasectomy, the likelihood of pregnancy is 30% at the very most. This is true for the Vasclip procedure as well.

Vasovasostomy is a far more difficult and expensive (prices start at $6000) procedure than the vasectomy itself. It involves reconnecting the severed ends of the vas deferens to re-establish sperm flow. Many factors may cause Vasovasostomy failure. For example, over time the body’s natural response to un-ejaculated sperm in the testicles may affect the number and quality of the sperm released. Sperm potency is just as important as the successful reconnection procedure.

To conclude, once you (and your partner) are sure that you don’t, and won’t ever, want any children (or any more children), you could benefit from sterilization surgery. Yes, it’s STERILIZATION. Vasectomy is a PERMANENT male contraceptive method.

If the permanency doesn’t scare you, nothing else should. It is a painless, un-expensive procedure. It’s better than the good old trusty Trojan condom because you don’t have to make sure it’s automatically everywhere with you. It’s better than the Pill or Patch because it doesn’t mess with anyone’s hormones. And, no, it will NOT affect your manhood (sex drive, testosterone levels, orgasms or ability to have erections) in any way. On the contrary, men have reported that sex is more enjoyable and less inhibited after a vasectomy.