The Vasectomy Project is encouraging men to join forces and take responsibly for family planning. This is an opportunity to bring people together to talk about our collective responsibility while offering men a concrete way to contribute towards a solution by having a vasectomy.
Everywhere in the world there is a certain percentage, a very small percentage of men who will do the right thing, no matter what the obstacles they may face.
They say, “Give a man a fish and he’ll eat today. Teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for the rest of his life.” Or as it relates to our theme, “do a vasectomy on a man and he’ll have less mouths to feed, but teach men how to do vasectomies and there will be more fish left uneaten.” And so, in this week’s webisode we follow Doug as he teaches medical professionals in Kenya how to perform the “No scalpel/No needle” vasectomy method.
Now some of you might be wondering, hey, exactly what is a no scalpel/no needle vasectomy and how do you do one? I wrote an email to Doug this very morning to get his professional insight. I’m posting his full answer on our Facebook page, but needless to say, I couldn’t follow most of what he wrote (very technical) and I’ve seen him do it 100 times. I read it very carefully though and distilled it down to my own 10 easy steps to a perfect vasectomy*.
1: Shave balls.
2: Drop pants and use ‘lasso’ to hold penis out of way.
3: Lift right vas with your fingers (a kind of spaghetti thing under your scrotum that connects sperm to semen).
4: Inject anesthetic two times on the right side vas area with Madajet (powerful device that replaces needle).
(Repeat steps 3 and 4 on left vas)
5: Grab right vas with ring fixation clamp (replaces scalpel) and deflect downwards piercing the skin and exposing the vas.
6: Both tips of clamp are inserted (they’re sharp) and then spread the skin the width of the vas (width of vas varies from man to man)
7: Use tip of clamp to lift out vas.
8: Cauterize (that’s when you see smoke rising from balls, but as Doug says, as long as you don’t see flames, you’ve got nothing to worry about) and then divide vas.
9: Use Hemoclip to close the vas.
10: Drop vas back into scrotum.
(Repeat steps 5-9 on left side)
Then you put on some gauze pads, wear a jock strap and leave it for a day. The next day take a shower. Keep the support on for a few days and maybe longer if you’re playing sports. Sex can be had as quickly as you’re able and for most guys that is pretty fast because probably the biggest concern at this point is that you want to make sure you’re still functioning at 100%, as does your partner.
Oh, and wear a condom or masturbate at least 30-45 times until you’re sure you’ve gotten rid of any malingering sperm. I thought the doctor recommending ejaculations was the best part of the entire process. Joking aside, this is critical because apparently, although very rarely, the vas re-canalizes, meaning it finds a way to mix with the semen which would really suck. It’s why Doug makes sure that you send him a sample of your sperm in the mail three months after the procedure. It’s looked at under a microscope and then, he‘s fully prepared to give you the good housekeeping stamp of vasectomy success. Then, it’s adios to condoms (unless of course, you’re playing the field … or your partner is).
Finally, repeat 30,000 times and you’ll be the next Doug Stein and maybe even a subject of a documentary.
One other note, although not recommended, Dr. Ramon Suarez, Doug’s partner and president of NSVI (No Scalpel Vasectomy International) did his own vasectomy. I know he’s an extremely accomplished vasectomist and apparently a very flexible man.
* Warning, if you do decide to do your own vasectomy (or anyone else’s for that matter), do not follow the above instructions. Actually, do not do it at all. It’s not that expensive. A vasectomy by Doug costs under $500 plus (for us out of staters) the trip to Florida.
This reminds me; when we first met Doug, he was trying to open up a vasectomy clinic at the airport. It was a simple concept: Fly in (or fly down). Get procedure. Stay overnight. Fly home. Or stay a few days and enjoy the weather. Unfortunately, the Department of Health turned him down.
One final anecdote I want to share before leaving Kenya. Perhaps the most remarkable person I met during my trip to Kenya was George Mbogah. In his late 30’s, George had saved money all year and traveled 20 hours by bus from the border of Tanzania just to have his vasectomy done by Doug. He said had done research online and after learning about the procedure found out that there was no vasectomist anywhere near him. For the record, he had no clue when he arrived that he’d receive $20 for wage replacement which, as it turned out was actually less than the cost of transportation. Furthermore, unlike most of the patients, he only had two children.
Lying on the operating table George told me that it was gift to his wife who he loved dearly. He wanted to make sure she didn’t go through another ‘painful’ pregnancy. He said, “I also did it for my children. Now I can provide them a better education and a better future.” How is it George cares so much when so many other men care so little? What makes him different? According to Doug, everywhere in the world there is a certain percentage, a very small percentage of men who will do the right thing, no matter what the obstacles they may face.
I think he’s right.
PS: I had no pain in the days after my vasectomy, but a week later I felt some discomfort that lasted a day. The cramping was of concern so I called Doug who reassured me that it was normal. The next day I felt perfectly fine. The only other drag was the terrible itching while my pubic hair grew back.
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