Vasectomy: An Excellent Choice for the Couple Finished
Conceiving
Matt Bogard, M.D.
During the obstetrical and gynecologic portions of my
training I observed the OB/GYN physicians counsel their female patients
extensively on all of the various birth control options: pills, patches, barrier
devices, vaginal ring, intrauterine devices, implantable hormones, and permanent
surgical procedures. All are great
options for certain couples depending on how long-lasting they desire the
effects to be.
Unfortunately, vasectomy was rarely brought up as an
option. It's a procedure Obstetrician/Gynecologist
physicians don't perform, and since it is performed on the male partner rather
than the female, I think the gynecologists often forgot about it. This is unfortunate because it's a great
option for many couples.
Vasectomy is a minor surgical procedure performed on a male
so that he can no longer get a woman pregnant.
It is meant as a permanent procedure that prevents the release of sperm when
a man ejaculates. Sperm typically travel
from the testicles to the outside world through a tube called the vas deferens,
which is permanently blocked during the procedure. Sperm can no longer reach the outside world
to get a woman pregnant, but the other fluid the male ejaculates still flows
normally.
The procedure is performed in the doctor's office rather
than the operating room where we perform tubal ligations on women. This reduces the costs considerably. It is performed with local anesthetic to numb
the area rather than the need to put a patient completely to sleep as with
tubal ligations, further reducing costs as well as being safer. The doctor finds the vas deferens within the
scrotum by feel and then makes a small puncture wound in the skin of the
scrotum, ties off the vas deferens with suture, and repeats the process on the
other side. It typically takes about a
half hour to perform.
I tell my patients to take it easy for several days after
vasectomy. Pain and discomfort are
typically minimal, and most patients report back the recovery was much less
than they expected. The puncture sites
heal within a few days.
It is important to understand that a man is still able to impregnate
a woman for up to three months after a vasectomy is performed, and because of this
we have you return with a semen sample to be analyzed in the lab before
declaring the vasectomy a success. After
receiving a vasectomy, a couple should still use another form of birth control
until we confirm the success with this semen sample.
If you and your partner are finished having children and are
interested in a cost-effective, safe, and permanent method of birth control, a
vasectomy may be the perfect option.
Dr.
Matt Bogard, M.D. is a medical doctor.
He is board-certified in Family Medicine and Board-Eligible in Emergency
Medicine. He sees patients of all ages,
genders, and complaints.
References:
Blog: https://matthewbogardmd.blogspot.com/
News: https://medicogazette.com/dr-matthew-bogard%2C-iowa
News:
https://hype.news/dr-matthew-bogard/
News: https://attorneygazette.com/matthew-bogard%2C-md#7244cab0-d3fa-44b9-8632-6f83b0524da4
News: https://attorneygazette.com/matthew-bogard%2C-md#7244cab0-d3fa-44b9-8632-6f83b0524da4
LinkedIn
Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewbogard/
Dr. Matthew Bogard, Iowa doctor, is an emergency medicine doctor primarily at the Lucas County Health Center in Chariton, Iowa. Presently, he is Board Certified in Family Medicine by the National Board of Physicians and Surgeons and the American Academy of Family Physicians.
