Men fail to follow up after vasectomy, study suggests

by Melissa Summers (Subscribe to Melissa Summers's posts) Apr 8th 2006 5:04PM

Categories: Just For Dads, Pregnancy & Birth

Web MD shares a study published in BJU International consisting of data from 436 men who had vasectomies at The Clevland Clinic. It showed a quarter of men do not follow the reccomended post-op screening to be sure the vasectomy was successful.

You can read the full details of the study, but I have to tell you I was stunned to read this. I was so certain some mutant stealth sperm was going to slip past after my husband's vasectomy, I begged him to have three clear screenings, even though he hated dropping off his sample at the urologist's office. Three years and three clear screenings later, still I sometimes worry that mutant sperm are going to find their way through.

Maybe other people aren't as frightened at the possibility of getting pregnant again after deciding their family is finished? Once we'd decided we were done, it was because I really knew I could not handle anymore kids with any grace. Not that I'm doing it all that gracefully now. [image courtesy of One Electric Sheep]

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Comments (32)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Adam Chance 4-08-2006 @ 6:10PM

I have to say, there is absolutely no way I would even consider having the procedure done.

Second child is about to be born and we opted for tube tying.

I have heard too many horror stories from people who had it done.

Basicly it seems you have a 50/50 shot at horrendous pain out of work for two weeks/no problems back at work the next day..

Plus all the psychological reasons...

Michelle 4-08-2006 @ 6:44PM

After 2 difficult pregnacies, we, too were going to have tubal ligation during my second c-section. However, due to severe complications, my second child was taken VERY early by emergency c-section. Tube tying is not an option in those circumstances. My baby and I almost died. My husband stepped up and had a vasectomy done a couple days after our preemie came home from the hospital, because, as much as I love being a mommy, my body could not handle another pregnancy, and the chances of a healthy baby are pretty slim. He was in the minority in that he did have a few extra days of pain. ( my Dad was dancing at a Christmas party the night he had his done)
But compared to difficult labor and delivery, including recovery from 2 c-sections, which are major surgeries (as is tubal ligation) and all that our son went through the 88 days he was in NICU, my hubby says he would gladly go through the pain of vasectomy again for his family.

Jenny 4-08-2006 @ 6:45PM

We were the reverse. There is absolutely no way we would have gone for a tubal ligation. You can check that a vasectomy works (give a sample). The only way to find out that a tubal ligation failed is when you have a potentially life-threatening ectopic pregnancy. The chances of both are small, but I've always had a gothic fear of ectopic pregnancy.

Of the seven or so men I can name off the top of my head who had the big "V", none lost work time or had more than a couple of days of discomfort. Two, however, never checked that the procedure worked. One
not-so-secretly wouldn't have minded more kids. The other was just squeamish.

Adam Chance 4-08-2006 @ 6:54PM

It is strange though, one quick google search leads to TONS of articles on damage, erectile disfunction, and mental damage. (10% of all reversals are due to metal reasons)

Seems like it is the more dangerous procedure.

Michelle 4-08-2006 @ 7:08PM

We checked that the V was successful. However, as with everything, nothing is 100%. About a month ago we had a scare/hope? (depends which one of us you ask) The vasectomy can reverse itself, but it usually takes several years and it has been less than 2. I was secretely delighted, because I had actually wanted 3, and was never supposed to have any, and suprisingly turned out to be Fertile Mertyle. Hubby was terrified bc of previous mentioned experiences. So, it was just as well, we didn't end up having to make any of THOSE difficult decisions! Anywho, he's going to go get rechecked, just to be sure.
The only reason we had opted for tubal ligation in the first place was we were having a doctor ordered scheduled c-section, due to previous severe pregnancy complications and 2 close pregnancies( my children are 21 mos apart) I CANNOT carry another baby.
Each couple has to make the decision that is right for them and their family. But, it is always smart to follow up any surgery or procedure with your doctor. I mean, duh? He cut, down there!

Michelle 4-08-2006 @ 7:14PM

Is it just me, or is it always the man being squeamish? The men at my hubby's work (and he's a *big, bad* police officer) were telling him how horrible it was, how he won't be a man anymore, wah, wah, wah. GIVE ME A BREAK! In my eyes, he was more of a man because he stepped up a had this *little bitty* procedure that at least saved me from having to go through another traumatic pregancy and premature delivery, at worst losing a baby and possibly my life. THAT MAKES HIM A REAL MAN!

Michelle 4-08-2006 @ 7:23PM

Adam,
I need to clarify. I'm not making fun or calling you a baby. This is your decision to make with your wife and nobody has a right to tell you how to make it.
I'm just poking a little fun at mankind in general at at how they all collectively cup themselves and wince whenever someone mentions the dreaded "V" word. Just a little harmeless fun, I promise I'm not aiming it at you, my husband was one of those men.
So, this is my peace pipe before things go down the ugly road. Good luck and Congrats to you and your wife!

Ms Sisyphus 4-08-2006 @ 8:27PM

Adam, when deciding what is the more dangerous procedure, consider the fact that a vasectomy is an outpatient procedure done with a local anaesthetic in the urologist's office. Tubal ligation, while it can now be done laproscopically, is still considered major surgery and is performed in an OR setting.

I think most men dont check because they feel embarrassed about the sample. And I cant really blame them--having a bunch of people know you masturbated into a cup would probably be pretty embarrassing.

Adam Chance 4-08-2006 @ 8:32PM

Well, the fear is there for alot of men. Society can often define our "maleness" via our genatalia. To have something "clipped" down there, is very close to castration in our eyes.

I think so men just dont think about it. (like everything else they do, a very male response) Also some are lazy, they dont want to pick up the extra slack while wife recovers. Others, like my history professor, used it as a license to cheat.

Most I think are uninformed of the dangers. All the guys I knew that had made up there mind had no idea of the (albiet small) risks.

The chance of nerve damage and E.D. is enough for me. I just cant do it..

thordora 4-08-2006 @ 8:35PM

I recently made the decision to get a tubal because one more kid will kill me. we hemmed and hawed about it, but when it came down to it, I don't trust a "V" because of stuff like this, because it can fail. Yes, a tubal can as well, but I'm also one of those women who would never trust a male BCP because I'm the one who could end up pregnant.

Mine sorta offered, but he also did the "wincey, cup thing" because a friend of his had some infection complications, which I believe, were caused by not following up withhis doctor.

I just know that due to some mental illness issues, I CANNOT become pregnant again, and can no longer take the pill. Tubal seems easier, despite knowing what Sisypus said. It's just a loaded issue. But I want to river dammed so to speak..

Michelle 4-08-2006 @ 9:49PM

Adam,
This decision is between you, your wife, and your doctor. Everyone's decision is their own to make.

Not every man is like your History prof. Chances are, he would have cheated, anyway. That is not a sign of a real man. A tubal ligation doesn't make a woman go out and automatically start cheating.

If you visit a urolgist to discuss the possibility of getting a "V", you become informed of all possible dangers, so between that and the internet, ignorance is not an excuse for the men out there. You did your research, right?

But I think you (uh-um) nailed it when you said "Society can often define our "maleness" via our genatalia. To have something "clipped" down there, is very close to castration in our eyes." That is the whole (uh-um) root of the problem why men would rather their significant others have major surgery requiring long recovery periods than have a simple outpatient procedure requiring a couple days' discomfort done themselves. I think it has more to do with that perception of "manly-man" than it does of the actual procedure itself or the thought of the pain it might cause. Think about it: men have been going to battle for their countries, their religions, their leaders, etc. hell, simpler: men have been piercing and tatooing EVERY part of their body without any thought. Yet, they can't bear the thought of a tiny clip to preserve their family. (Beat on chest, here)
It is all about what society has been pounding into little boys about what it is to be a man!

I wish you and your family all the happiness and love!

To those men who are embarassed to masturbate into a cup: I'm sure your wife would be willing to help a manly-man such as yourself who did such a heroic thing for your family.(If that if TMI, SORRY!)

Anna V. 4-08-2006 @ 10:26PM

I would rather lose an arm than do anything intentional to my reproductive system, including getting my tubes tied. My husband and I have decided that he will get the vasectamy, and he suggested it. I think it takes a man to confront his fears about getting the procedure done. There was a Marine that I worked with who had it done, and was back to work the next day. One of the people in my office asked how he could still be a Marine, and the Marine replied that he had done the best thing for his family. It is a personal choice, but it should always be an informed one. I'm just glad my husband wants to get it done, so that I don't have to.

Missy 4-08-2006 @ 11:05PM

Adam,

You have a greater risk of erectile dysfunction by eating a crappy diet of McDonald's, Coke/Pepsi and by smoking (heart disase, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and hypertension) than you are from vasectomy.

In fact, vasectomy doesn't actually cause ED. At least not directly. Perhaps men who've had the procedure consider themselves less manly, which psychologically renders them impotent. It isn't common, though.

http://www.reutershealth.com/wellconnected/doc15.html

MelissaS 4-08-2006 @ 11:12PM

Adam, your perspective makes me sad. I think of all a woman has to go through in childbearing and childbirth and you can't handle a small procedure?

My husband left at 7am one Saturday morning, came home by 8:40am. He spent the rest of the day and most of the next on the sofa with frozen peas on his crotch.

By Monday he was up and running as per usual.

Please give me a break with your 'virility' fears. Women have generally been responsible for birth control and also birthing in general. Once you and your spouse/partner are ready to be done with child bearing isn't it your part of the deal to step up and take care of things?

LB 4-09-2006 @ 1:43AM

My hubby has bothersome vasectomy side effects (big granulomas and aching) and he STILL thinks it was worth it. We did a lot of research and ED really isn't a side effcet of the procedure itself, that's psycholigical.

FWIW, we have learned about quite a few men with post vasectomy problems. My feeling it is seems to occur in men who a-try to get back to normal too soon and don't take care b)people who scar or heal badly. We have a friend who had an infection, but he was very depressed at time of surgery and very stressed out. he wasn't really taking care of himself. The problems are managable, treatable and likely avoidable, take it easy if you feel you are a slow healer. These steps are way way way easier than having kids you don't willing welcome or a relationship without sex.

Mike 4-09-2006 @ 1:55AM

I'm not sure also if I'd looking forward to get it done. I'm hoping to perhaps have one more and then decide???

Ken Thompson 4-09-2006 @ 7:30AM

My vasectomy was a complete horror story. I left the Doctors office and went home. The swelling and the pain was so bad that my 7 year old son had to call for emergency services because I passed out on my front lawn. I was taken to the hospital, operated on for internal bleeding and treated for shock. I spent the next 9 days sitting on ice cubes. Internal bleeding was so bad I was black and blue from my crotch to my waist, across my waist to my left and onto my back and up to my sholders. It took 7 months for the blood to disapate into my system. Oh yea, it hurt like hell.

Jim 4-09-2006 @ 7:36AM

I had it done before my second marriage. I was 30 at the time. I already had the children I wanted. My second wife and I agreed we did not want any more children. I might have been lucky. I had mine done in the morning and by evening I was making love to my wife. Really. I went back for my post op. I also took samples back a couple of years later just to be sure. I am still shooting blanks. I am 50 now. It was a good decision for me. Only suggestion I would have to men who do opt to do it is, to think about putting a sample away in a sperm bank before hand. Then if they do reconsider having children they can.

Dan 4-09-2006 @ 7:57AM

"mutant stealth sperm" ????
I hadn't looked to see if the author of this article was male or female, but as soon as I read those words, I had to go back to the byline to confirm my suspicion:
the aricle HAD to have been written by a woman.

For the record, I had a vasectomy 22 years ago, and, yes, I DID provide 3 negative samples for testing.

mar 4-09-2006 @ 9:00AM

I know several people who have had them, with no side ill effects. I also know people who have had them successfully reversed - he divorced, remarried, and they wanted more children. He said the reversal was slighly more uncomfortable than the original procedure, but he figured, compared to what his wife was going to go through (9 months of pregnancy and then labor, ending with squeezing an 8 lb. watermelon out through her hoo-ha) it was minor.

However, I do know one person who had it, never had it checked, and now has a fourth, unplanned (but of course, still loved and beautiful) child - so yes, it does happen. Men - get those swimmers checked!

And this, just like every other discussion of reproductive rights, is personal - it is between you and your partner, and may only be right for your family, not mine or my neighbors. However, isn't it wonderful to at least have the choice??

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