Male Sterilization

I got thinking about PVPS the other day and what it means to me. So basically, my whole world has been turned on its ear in the last several years because of a decision. The decision making process involved in my male sterilization procedure (aka: vasectomy) was so warped. I mean, why did I have it done in the first place? It's kind of silly.

I wasn't ever going to have a vasectomy, in fact, my wife was going to have her tubes tied with the delivery of our second child. Again though, why had we settled on any type of sterilization procedure? I mean, for 20 years, we had successfully managed to have children when we wanted to and not when we didn't. So what was it about vasectomy or tubes getting tied that seemed like a good idea? Why did we want to change our anatomy?

The simple answer is laid out in my book, but I'll give you a glimpse here. The answer is...it seemed like the right thing to do. That's it. Getting fixed is just what you do when you're done having kids. We do it to animals without any regard and are praised for it by the SPCA. When men are sterilized, we stand around the water cooler and high five about convenience, while scaring the other men with our bag of frozen peas stories. Women may have the benefit of no more monthly cycles, depending on their selection of sterilization.

I have to laugh, because if I don't I'll just cry, about the reasons why we did what we did. Like I said, the book goes into much more greater detail about our decision to make male sterilization our method of choice.

So what is the take home message? It isn't to talk you into or out of a particular decision. Rather, I just want you to think about why you are doing what you are about to do. Is it convenience, is it fear you'll have more kids, what? Remember, permanent sterilization for both the male and female are procedures wrought with the promise of ease in the bedroom, but can also have uncertainty, pain and life altering consequences. So ask yourself why and get informed. Then decide whether male sterilization is right for you. I hope this challenges you and makes you think hard about your future.