Many states already have abortion restrictions in place due to the Roe v. Wade decision being overturned. Many men have reconsidered their strategies for preventing unintended births as a result of this.
According to several health professionals, more men are inquiring about the possibility of vasectomy. For instance, Dustin May from Saint Louis discussed his experience with the treatment afterward and said that men should take it forward. Men should actively participate in reproductive health decisions to avoid exposing women solely to dangers and asking them to make compromises.
“If she got pregnant, an abortion would be something we would consider. So this is a step to prevent that,” said May.
He said that he had used a variety of birth control options. However, they all had detrimental side effects. Given that they are still in their 20s, May and his partner said they do not wish to have children. And a safe method to stop it from happening is via a vasectomy. A vasectomy prevents the release of sperm from the semen.
“Vasectomy is minor surgery to block sperm from reaching the semen that is ejaculated from the penis. Semen still exists, but it has no sperm in it. After a vasectomy, the testes still make sperm, but the body soaks them up,” said Urology Care Foundation.
“Each year, more than 500,000 men in the U.S. choose vasectomy for birth control. A vasectomy prevents pregnancy better than any other method of birth control, except abstinence,” it added.
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Finding another way
Many states are still fighting against abortion. Republican legislators have pledged to enact other laws limiting abortion in the future. However, some think many couples have previously given a vasectomy, which is available in several medical institutions. For instance, the Saint Louis Planned Parenthood facility began offering free vasectomies to members with insurance. The patient must pay almost $1,000 for the alternative.
“What has happened is that since Roe v. Wade was overturned, many men have realized that they perhaps have been absent in contraception, particularly in contraceptive decisions,” said Dr. Esgar Guarin, a health practitioner who performs vasectomy.
To prevent sperm from fertilizing the egg cell, several scientists and researchers have also looked at further hormonal interventions. And they want to develop one that won’t negatively impact users of the techniques in the short- or long-term.
“We would like to create a menu of options for men similar to what women have available to them,” said Stephanie Page from the University of Washington.
“We have worked really hard to develop methods that don’t impact those other physiologic parameters. So we don’t see any impacts on kidney function, liver function and the like,” she added.
“I hear stories about how men are tired of hearing about their partner suffering from hormonal side effects or, in some cases, complications related to IUDs or implants. And they want to do something,” said Brian Nguyen from the Keck School of Medicine.
“The male reproductive system is cool in that there are hundreds and hundreds of links in this chain, [so] that if you take out any one of them, you end up with effectively an infertile man,” contended Logan Nickels from the Male Contraceptive Initiative.
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The impacts of vasectomy
Compared to other methods of birth control, the vasectomy has few health hazards, claims Guarin. For instance, a qualified surgeon might do the procedure in only ten minutes or less. Additionally, it is less dangerous than women having their fallopian tubes cut or blocked during a tubal ligation. Additionally, a vasectomy has a lower failure rate than any contraception. The longevity of its effects, however, is what appears to have been sacrificed.
“They’ve been thinking about getting it for a long time, and then what’s happening in this country has motivated them that much more to get the vasectomy,” said Meera Shah, Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic chief medical officer.
“If somebody is going into a vasectomy saying, ‘Oh, it can be reversed,’ then I say that they may not be a candidate for it,” added Shah.
“I kind of played the card of like, ‘Do you guys want me to have kids? Because you guys seem the most upset about this procedure, you guys should invest some money in me freezing the sperm,'” shared Collin Mack, a patient at the St. Louis Planned Parenthood clinic.
“I’m not too worried about it. I’d prefer not to have kids – I think that’s the choice that I’m going to stick with,” he adds.
“Vasectomies are usually done in your urologist’s office, but they may also be done at a surgery center or in a hospital. You and your urologist may decide if you need to be fully sedated (put to sleep) for the procedure. If you need to be sedated, you may have your vasectomy at a surgery center or hospital,” adds the Urology Care Foundation.
“The need for sedation is based on your anatomy, how nervous you are, or if you might need other surgery at the same time. You may be asked to sign a form that gives your urologist permission to do the procedure. Some states have special laws about the type of consent and when you need to sign it.”
Photo Credit: Chase Castor for Politico
Source: NPR
