Andy’s experience: Childfree vasectomy at 21

I’d give you a good story if I had one, but this will have to do. 🙂

Hardly any resistance along the way. I talked to my G.P. first and hit him with my laundry list of reasons. He gave me the names of a few urologists, and I went to the one down the hall from his office. No consultation, I just went straight in for a vasectomy. Total time from first asking the G.P. to being snipped: four weeks tops.

Now, of course, total time beforehand spent considering the ramification of sterility and the effects it would have on my relationship with someone who seemed certain that the ultimate purpose for her life was to have kids: two years. Now that it’s done, however, I’m tremendously glad I didn’t go along with that life script. shiver

First, it’ll probably be interesting to many to know that the snip and everything else happened at the ripe old age of 21.

Second, my G.P. had been treating my on-going health problems. Health problems which aren’t readily obvious just by looking at me and it didn’t exactly take much effort to convince him that risking passing these health problems to kids wasn’t a hot idea. In addition, there are worse health problems further back up the family tree that could come out in any children I have.

As I stated, the urologist’s office scheduled me right in for a vasectomy. No consultation. No resistance given, but in retrospect, I kind of wish he had. After the vasectomy, I had a bit of unusual trouble (just a bit, not doubled-over-for-weeks kind of trouble), and he turned into an obnoxious twit about it.

I went in to get it checked out a week after the snip, and he ushered me out the door in two minutes flat. Almost a week later we ended up getting in an outright argument over the phone after my G.P. called him to ask him what the hell was going on. My G.P. later confided that sometimes rookie specialists expect patients to be in-and-out with no follow-up care ever required.

Which brings me to probably the most important point of this story: if you’re seeking a vasectomy, get a doctor who has been in practice for more than two years. I would suspect they’re less likely to have this “I know more about how your nuts feel than you do” attitude that mine did.

Anyhow, I ended up going to a different urologist (with twenty years of experience!) for the trouble. I took two rounds of anti-inflammatories and antibiotics, and we discussed possible removal of the titanium clamps used in the procedure (he said that they are not always inert in all people), but it was not necessary as I am having no trouble now, two months after these events.

The second urologist, of course, was a bit surprised to have a 21-year-old complaining of vasectomy troubles and asked me plainly why I had it done. I explained the health problems and the simple facts that I like my life as it is and that I don’t like kids and don’t want them. He gave me no grief about it, and, in fact, congratulated me for making the responsible decision rather than continuing to run any risk of creating children I already know I don’t want. I wonder if other childfree men have trouble getting vasectomies because all the understanding and non-interfering urologists are concentrated in my part of the world. 🙂

Finally, even though I thought about the vasectomy for two years, I was still a little worried that I might experience what I guess might be thought of as the opposite of postpartum depression after it was actually done. Boy was I wrong. No sperm, no worry, and no regrets whatsoever.

Submitted by Andy