Vasectomies

[Mr Light]

What is your opinion on vasectomies? Has anyone here had one?

I'm seriously thinking about getting one because neither I nor my fiancee intend to have children, and I certainly have a hard time imagining myself ever wanting to have a child. But I'm also only 27 so I also realize I might change my mind later in life. But on the other hand I have always despised children, and spending lots of time with my sister and her three boys has only cemented this opinion. Hell, I spent entire summers helping to take care of the oldest when he was a baby and infant.

The only thing really freaking me out is the procedure. First of all I am deathly afraid of needles. I seriously have a panic attack and have to be held down. Second of all, I've been reading about the procedure, and apparently there is a 35% chance of chronic genital pain after the procedure... and then even if you get a reversal operation there is still a 31% chance that it will NOT remove the chronic pain and you will suffer the rest of your life! And knowing how the strange odds always bite me in the ass, I just know I would be that 31 of 35 percent

 

[Hermiod]

If you don't want to have children then that's your choice, though a vasectomy is rather extreme way of making sure.

 

[Pingfah]

35%??!

Fuck that! For an entirely elective and non-essential operation that sounds like a ridiculously high rate for complications. I can't believe anybody would knowingly take those odds.

 

[sbk1234]

If you are not sure, don't get one. If you and your fiance are in agreement about children, (I hate to sound sexist) she can take The Pill, and/or you can wear condoms.
Also, you are young. At 27 I wasn't even married. Now I have 3 kids. I never saw myself as a father, and now I have 3 kids. Yes, all planned.
I did have a vasectomy. To be honest, the pain was practically non-existent. There was a recovery time, but that was more of a nuisance than anything.
Also, the hospital where I had it done wouldn't do it unless I took part in a series of classes about the procedure, and I had to sign a whole lot of legal papers. Honestly, the worst part for me was they wanted me to dry shave to get prepared. The idea of that really bugged me. I don't know why.
As with any surgery, don't make the decision lightly. Good luck.

Also, I couldn't eat hotdogs for several months after.

 

[Misfit Toy]

I'd suggest waiting. My wife and I were married twelve years before we decided to have a child. We had not wanted children when we got married, but over time our feelings changed.

BTW, since that time I have been *snipped* - yes, there was apprehension, yes, there was post-surgical pain (frozen peas really are wonderful things), no, there was no lingering pain. What it really boiled down to for me and my wife was that it was such a minor operation for a guy, and the corresponding operation for her was just so much more complex, that it just made sense for me to have the operation.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Why not just have some kid hit you in the nuts with a baseball bat? It will serve the same purpose and make you stand firm in your commitment to never have kids.

 

[Mr Light]

I'm using wiki as a source here which may be a bad idea, but it says in America more women get their tubes tied than men get snipped, which really shocked me. It also says many women get their tubes tied at the same time as giving birth because it's convenient to do it at that time. And we do use B.C. of course.

 

[nevermore]

Vasectomies are sexy.

 

[MANT!]

I didn't even think about having kids until after 6 years of marriage...here's one thing you can be sure of...it's always different when it's YOUR kids...experience with other peoples children isn't relevant.

Use temporary methods until you are in your late 30s at the earliest, many insurance plans won't cover the operations until after that age anyway..and many don't cover the reversal operation at all...

 

[Geckothan]

If you want to mutilate yourself, go right ahead.

 

[Gertch]

Easy, quick and back in the saddle in 4 days. No pain issues either and it's been 7 years.

More people should do it.

 

[Scout101]

Too young to do something like that, I'd think. As a "definitely no more" procedure after you have a couple of kids, yeah, makes sense. Not as a 27-year old engaged man, though.

 

[iguana_tonante]

Use condoms, dude.

 

[John Picard]

When in doubt, pull it out.

 

[Mr. B]

Recently, a Smodcast episode featuring Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier is almost entirely devoted to Mosier's experience in getting a vasectomy. It was an entertaining and surprisingly informative podcast. They discuss the entire process from making the decision to the details of the procedure.

 

[Josh Kelton]

How do vasectomies work then? It just stops the production of sperm, or there's no semen ejaculated either?

 

[John Picard]

How do vasectomies work then? It just stops the production of sperm, or there's no semen ejaculated either?

Google is your friend.

 

[sidious618]

I'd get one but the risks are too high for my taste.

 

[Daneel]

My dad had a vasectomy after my sister was born -- I guess my parents decided two was enough. He said the actual procedure itself was a bit unpleasant, but since then, he's had no complaints.

Would I ever get one? >shrug< I honestly can't say. I'm certainly not planning on getting one in the near future at any rate, as I'm only 25. It's true, I don't really see myself having children, but I'm not fundamentally opposed to the idea. If, against all odds, I actually meet a woman who is insane enough to want to spend the rest of her life with me, well then we'll have to see where we both stand on the issue. I do like joking about getting a vasectomy when my parents are around, though -- I get a perverse pleasure out of seeing their expressions when I remind them that they are unlikely to get any grandchildren out of me.

Of course, one should be aware that vasectomies aren't 100%-guaranteed to work. My uncle had one after he and his wife had twins, their first children. Like my parents, it seems they decided two was enough.

They now have three children.

 

[CmdrAJD]

I had one after our second child, and, while it wasn't my idea of fun, it wasn't too bad. Having my wisdom teeth removed and surgery on an ingrown toenail were both far more uncomfortable. The worst part for me was that the doctor invited my wife, who is a nurse, to watch and gave her the complete play-by-play describing each step in detail as he did it. I'd have been quite content not to hear all of that. Otherwise, the recovery was pretty quick, and I haven't had any pain or complications in the five years since I had it done.