Alan’s experience: Farewell to Fatherhood – My Vasectomy Experience

I first learned about vasectomy in an article in Prevention Magazine when I was a teenager. The story as about a family who had had their four children two girls and two boys the oldest in their teens and the mother had decided that she did not risk having any more children. She went to her doctor to discuss a bilateral tubal ligation (BTL). On the way out she ran into the doctor’s wife who asked her if she had ever considered a vasectomy for her husband instead. She reported that she did not know what a vasectomy was. She was told that it is a very simple procedure that is done in the doctor’s office rather than in the operating room where the vas deferens are ligated resulting in the man being unable to father any more children. So she presented this to her husband and he had his vasectomy rather than having a BTL. The night before the vasectomy they told the children that Dad was going to have a vasectomy and that would be farewell to fatherhood.

In college, I took a course Science and the Citizen. In this course, we discussed being good citizens of the planet earth with Zero Population Growth (ZPG) with the “Stop at Two” movement. I then started researching vasectomies. One of the first articles was “Vasectomy easy as 1-2-3” This was a personal expose by a psychiatrist of his decision making and vasectomy procedure. I also read numerous articles on vasectomy as a surgical procedure. It seemed easy enough and would do the job.

I decided that since I was about to be married that we would have our two children before I was thirty and my thirtieth birthday present to myself would be a vasectomy. But this did not come to pass. My wife stopped having sex with me just before the point that I wanted to start working on number two and then my first wife walked out on me just after my first son’s first birthday. So my vasectomy plans were put on hold.

Two years later I ran into a gorgeous woman that I wanted for my wife, but being the shy type I did nothing and within the year she was engaged and married another man. We both worked for a volunteer agency. Two years later at the annual banquet for the agency, she came up to me and told me that her husband had walked out on her that day. Now, I made my moves. We were married a year and a half later. She wanted children so no vasectomy yet. But we did discuss the idea and made the decision that when that point came I would have a vasectomy.

Two years later we had not been able to conceive. So now we had to do the whole infertility thing. It ended up that she had had adhesions from an appendectomy that had closed off the fallopian tubes. So she underwent surgery to release the adhesions. Nine months later with all my family in the house for Christmas, we were able to successfully conceive.

The pregnancy was not without its problems. First, my wife started bleeding. This ended any intimate relations. Next, she developed pregnancy-induced hypertension. That is the 39th week that became also life-threatening. So, it was decided to induce delivery. The induction was a 36 hour-long extreme labor. Additionally, problems with the delivery of the baby requiring the use of a vacuum extractor to assist the delivery. When the baby was born, he decided that he did not want to breathe and required some respiratory assistance to get things started. My wife had some transient visual changes, with her history of detached retina’s this was a concern.

With the concerns about my wife’s health that is caused by pregnancy-induced hypertension and the risk of blindness each of which is these risks is multiplied by successive pregnancies. My thoughts of not having any further children and having a vasectomy came to the forefront. My wife and I discussed this, but my wife did not want to do anything until the baby was past the SIDS age.

After our son was one the discussion arose about me having a vasectomy? My wife downplayed the idea. So, I just waited. As if often the case that my wife has to feel in control, it was just before Christmas. When she made the decision that our family was complete. She announced that she was going to call her GYN doctor for a BTL if I did not immediately make arrangements for my vasectomy.

The next morning I called Dr. Stop. Dr. Stop had a large vasectomy practice and did about twelve vasectomies each week. He did them on Tuesday evening and Friday mornings. The Tuesday evening was for the rapid rotators at one of the large industries in town so they would be off for four days before they had to go back to work, and Friday for those of us with more traditional work schedules. Since my employment requires every-other-weekend I picked the next Friday available before a weekend off. This was January 5th, 1987.

Now my studies on vasectomy went into high gear. Being in the medical profession I wanted to know all I could before I underwent my procedure. The no-scalpel vasectomy had not been introduced in the United States at this time so it was not an option. The traditional scalpel vasectomy had basically bilateral incision or one midline incision. The other options were suture or metal clamps to close the ends of the vas deferens. The other discussion of clinical importance was ligation with the removal of a section of the vas deferens or just ligation. Several other methods that were in the literature was vas deferens flushing with various solutions to speed up the time to sterility, this did not have any evidence base. All the data in the literature show that it took 20-25 ejaculations for sterility to occur with or without the vas flushing. Another method was heating the testicles in a hot water bath to decrease sperm production to speed sterility, but once again it showed it took 20-25 ejaculation for sterility.

The other issue that was in the literature at that time was the problem of vagal (tenth cranial nerve) stimulation that caused severe bradycardia (very slow heart rate) and two reported cases of cardiac arrest, that occurred from pulling on the vas causing vagal stimulation. Hence, it was recommended that Atropine an anti-vagal medication be given to prevent bradycardia.

Next, I received a packet of papers from Dr. Stop, first was a letter of introduction confirming the date and time of the procedure, a consent form, and instructions for a vasectomy. The consent required both my wife’s and my signatures with a witness. My sister-in-law served as our witness so that piece was set in place.

The Vasectomy

On the day of the procedure. As directed to do took two showers scrubbing the scrotum, penis, and pubic hair with a surgical scrub. Between the two showers shaved the scrotum. Hair is a great hibernator of bacteria that can cause infection, so by scrubbing the hair and shaving the scrotum you decrease the risks of infection.

I put my underpants style athletic supporter into my pocket and was ready to go. My wife and I then drove to the doctor’s office for the 9:00 AM appointment. As we were pulling into the parking lot saw a friend of mine walking out like Gabby Haze, and wondered if this would be me in half an hour. Went to the check-in window turned in my signed consent that the secretary inspected for completeness and paid my co-pay. My wife and I then sat down in the waiting room alone. Shortly, another husband and wife with an about year old baby in arms came in and checked in for what I presumed was his vasectomy. My name was called at this point and I was lead to a procedure room down a hallway. Just opposite from my procedure room was another, with a man laying on the table resting with his mid-section draped, I wondered if he was waiting for his vasectomy or it was completed he looked very comfortable.

I was instructed to undress from the waist down and cover up with a sheet. Dr. Stop came into the room introduced himself and prepared some warm betadine and scrubbed my scrotum in preparation for the vasectomy, the warm solution he explained helps relax the scrotal sac making the spermatic cord relax making it easier to identify and get the vas deferens.

He then prepped my arm and injected Atropine 0.5 mg. to prevent any vagal response from the movement of the vas deferens.

He then had me lay flat on my back with my leg tightly together with my scrotum elevated on my lets. No Stirrups as described in several of the articles. Dr. Stop then taped my penis to my abdomen using three-inch tape. For those afraid of erecting this held things fast and kept them from flopping into the surgical site.

Next was the local anesthesia that was placed in the midline of the scrotum, the usual bee sting, and burning, wait for thirty-seconds and it had taken effect and a half-inch incision was made with a scalpel. The right vas deferens was identified then injected with the local anesthesia, I felt a dull pressure into the flank area with this, but nothing really uncomfortable, a little wait for it to take effect the spermatic cord was delivered thought the incision, and the vas was dissected out and half-inch section was cut out with Kelly clamps on each end of the vas. A permanent suture was then used to close the ends of the vas deferens and it was placed back into the scrotum. Dr. Stop then identified the left vas and repeated the procedure on the left as same as he had done on the right. During the procedure, Dr. Stop talked through the procedure explaining it as if he had a group of students, but it was only he and I in the room. After he had returned the left vas deferens into the scrotum he placed three dissolvable sutures into the incision. I was told to rest for a few minutes. I gave it about thirty-seconds and got up put on my athletic supporter and got dressed. Just then a nurse stuck her head in and said I could leave. The issue of pain or discomfort during the procedure, I find it more uncomfortable for teeth cleaning than for my vasectomy. I walked out of the waiting room to get my wife she was surprised it had only been fifteen minutes since I had gone it. I walked out normally without any discomfort.

After the procedure

My wife drove home and I went to bed. The local anesthesia wore off I experience a dull ache in the scrotal area, the residual feeling of when you get punched in the scrotum. I fell asleep. Awoken several hours later by a full bladder walked to the bathroom and tried to urinate but had difficulty getting my stream to start had to force it but was able to empty my bladder. I then went downstairs to watch television. No frozen peas or ice pack per Dr. Stop’s instruction.

Went to bed Friday night had a good night’s sleep. Saturday, was awoken by my wife caressing me and getting me excited, she wanted to make sure everything still worked and it did just fine and she had a good orgasm. Many of the studies show that sexual activity improves after a vasectomy because the fear of pregnancy is removed. The quality of life is improved and sexual relations become more spontaneous. The only people that have problems are those that had problems before the vasectomy, sometimes it is then used as a weapon in the relationship.

Post-op pain. Saturday was fine, took Tylenol for a dull ache in the low abdomen to get to sleep. Sunday, the dull ache was moderate by mid-afternoon, took long-acting pain medication, and went to bed. Woke Monday morning without any discomfort and stayed that way until I got hit in the scrotum on Wednesday, it was a little more sensitive because of the vasectomy but only lasted a few minutes and did not require any medication. By Friday the disposable suture was bothering me so I pulled them out with any incisional problem.

The next issue was the twenty-five ejaculations in the six weeks before the sperm count. By week five I had made it to twenty-five, called as directed for the sperm count, and was told I needed to wait until after-week six. I call and was told to bring my specimen in on the next Tuesday and it had to be within one hour. So on Tuesday went to produce the specimen and things did not want to work (something Freudian hidden here) but finely as able to obtain ejaculate for the specimen jar. Was now just time to drop it off at the Doctor’s office and make it to work. At the office was directed to put my specimen in a box with twenty other jars of various sizes and shapes and off to work I went.

Ask my wife the next morning if there had been any calls from Dr. Stop’s office and she said no. I had a job out of the house to do that morning so off I went. When I came home there were no messages on the answering machine. Went to get ready for work was getting ready to go out the door and the phone rang. It was Dr. Stop’s office calling the sperm count was zero and I was instructed that we could stop using any other form of birth control. My wife had stopped taking the oral contraceptive when they ran out after my vasectomy and we had been using condoms since.

The vasectomy is an excellent choice for someone who has reached the point in their life that they do not want any further children. In my case it was my wife’s health, I did not want to risk her life or slight and my age, I will be sixty-five when my youngest reaches 21 years old. The more prepared you are for the procedure the better you will do with it. It was my time to say farewell to fatherhood and I have no regrets.

Submitted by Alan