Reproductive health is an issue of essential importance in the international arena. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is defined as the physical, mental and social well-being associated with the reproductive process. When talking about this very important parameter, it is essential to take into account the concept of family planning, which allows individuals to decide how many offspring they want to have and when to have them.
Thanks to family planning, health risks (such as those associated with very early or old ages of childbirth) and miscarriages are avoided. It also allows for some control over overall population growth, thus decreasing the likelihood of negative effects to the overall economy.
As you can see, this concept is essential for the overall population balance and for ourselves as individuals. If you have already reached the “it’s over” point or are not considering having children for whatever personal reason, read on.Today we will tell you about the types of operations to prevent men from having children and other equally valid options.
What is vasectomy?
We begin with vasectomy, the reigning procedure when it comes to limiting offspring in men. It is estimated that about 50 million men have undergone this procedure worldwide in 2017, with the United States leading the way. and that in the lead is the United States, with more than 500,000 such operations annually.
The premise of vasectomy is simple: the tubes that carry the sperm to the penis (vas deferens) are cut, preventing them from reaching the female egg during sexual intercourse during ejaculation. Even so, it is necessary to emphasize that the patient will continue to produce semen and have orgasms naturally, since the seminal vesicle (where 60% of this liquid is produced) continues to communicate with the urethra. For this reason, the individual will not realize that he has undergone the operation in his normal life.
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Vasectomy procedure
Vasectomy is almost always is performed in a surgeon’s office under local anesthesia, so the process is completely painless.so the process is completely painless, even though the patient is awake for the duration of the procedure. The procedure is as simple as making an incision in the scrotum (the sac containing the testicles), locating the vas deferens, cutting them one by one, and closing the wound. Seen and unseen!
However, at this point, it should be noted that there are two main variants of vasectomy. We will tell you about them below.
Vasectomy with incision
It is the typical process, which we have described in previous lines. An incision is made in the scrotum and the vas deferens is cut. the vas deferens is cut.. On other occasions, a small piece of each of them may be removed, ligated/blocked by surgical staples or closed by electric current (a process known as cauterization). In any case, the vas deferens remains tied.
2. Non-incisional vasectomy
This variant is different and less known to the general population. In this procedure, the specialist performs a tiny puncture to reach the vas deferens, without the need to injure the scrotum.. The ducts are then ligated as described above and the tiny puncture heals quickly on its own. There is no need for stitches, and this method also reduces the likelihood of bleeding and bruising, among other complications associated with incisional vasectomy.
What to expect after the operation?
About 3 months after the operation, the semen no longer contains spermatozoa, so you can start practicing the practice of vasectomy.So you can start having unprotected sex, as long as you are aware of the other person’s health status. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, male vasectomy is a good option in the following cases:
- Having a long-term relationship in which both partners have decided that they do not want to have (more) children.
- Having a relationship in which pregnancy could be dangerous for the woman’s health status due to her own conditions.
- Having a relationship in which one/both of the parents have genetic disorders that they do not wish to pass on to their offspring.
It is certainly not recommended to consider this operation in unstable and volatile relationships, in order to please the other sexual partner or because “I just don’t feel like using a condom anymore”. In many cases, men resort to “if I regret it, I will donate my sperm to a sperm bank first and have my wife artificially inseminated”. Clearly, this mentality is dangerous and not at all recommended..
The success rate of artificial insemination is 15-20% per woman’s menstrual cycle, which shows that it is far from easy. After four cycles, you may reach a 50% chance of pregnancy, that is, it is as likely to happen as not. You will probably have to try many more times, but the price per cycle is about 800 euros. As you can see, the idea of donating sperm and “I’ll worry if I want to have children later” is, to say the least, nonsense.
If I am young and I don’t want to have children, what can I do?
If you are in this situation and have grown tired of long-term condom use with your partner, you may be surprised to learn that there are other ways to go beyond vasectomy. Here are some of them.
1. Gel contraceptive
Today, a contraceptive revolution is emerging under our eyes: vasalgel is a gel that is injected into the patient’s vas deferens and, after about 15 minutes, allows the seminal fluid to pass through but not the spermatozoa. This makes sexual intercourse fully functional, but the chances of pregnancy are reduced by 97.3%.
In addition, the effect of vasalgel is temporary (13 years duration) and can be reversed at any time through the injection of a sodium bicarbonate solution. The problem? That this treatment is still in the testing phase and is not available to the public. We have to wait.
2. Male Pills
The male contraceptive pill (MCP) is made up of derivatives of female hormones, which cause a decrease in circulating testosterone in men, resulting in a temporary decrease in the number and effectiveness of spermatozoa.
These pills are involved in both medical and social controversies, as they can have quite unpleasant side effects for the men who take them. For this reason, are also not made available to the public.
3. Contraceptive injection
Recently, a polymer-based injectable has been developed that blocks ejaculation, thus preventing sperm from reaching the female uterus and fertilizing the egg. The action of this compound lasts up to 10 to 15 years and, fortunately, other drugs can be applied to reverse it earlier. The catch: once again, we are moving into experimental territory, we are moving on experimental grounds.
In defense of condoms
Yes, no man likes condoms, because they “castrate” a lot of the pleasure we feel. Making love with or without it is, in many cases, a night and day difference. Even so, you might be surprised to learn that *one of the greatest uses of condoms is not to keep someone else from getting pregnant..
The World Health Organization (WHO) speaks for itself with this set of facts:
- Every 24 hours, more than 1 million people contract a sexually transmitted infection (STI).
- Annually, some 376 million people contract one of four sexually transmitted infections: chlamydiosis, gonorrhea, syphilis or trichomoniasis.
- Some STIs greatly increase the likelihood of contracting HIV.
- Certain STIs such as syphilis during pregnancy can be lethal. 200,000 fetuses die annually from this cause.
- Some STIs can have complications far beyond the immediate impact, such as lifelong infertility and even the development of some cancers (as is the case with herpesviruses).
As you may have noticed, an STI is not just genital itching. Sometimes it involves blood, pus, bad smells, emergency doctor visits and, in the worst cases, permanent infertility. No one likes condoms, but no matter what operation you undergo to avoid having children, before sporadic encounters you will still have to use it..
Summary
This is not to say that vasectomy is useless, far from it: let’s say a 50-year-old man has two grown children and wants to start enjoying sex with his wife in a different way. In this case, vasectomy is a perfect option, as it does not jeopardize his health or reproductive integrity.
Now, let’s take a 20-year-old who doesn’t want to have children at the time and is interested in having sex without a condom. Little scenario is worse than this, because artificial insemination is really complex, the process cannot be reversed and, in addition, the risk of STIs is still present. If you are very young, and to be clear, a vasectomy is only going to get you into trouble.