|
|
|
Vasectomy Decisions
December 6, 2007
|
Throughout most of their marriage, John and Janice Sickels relied on birth control
pills to help with family planning. John
says, “I think that if you’re married and
your wife is on birth control whether it’s conscious or not there’s always, is that
pill working? Did she take the pill?” A few years and a few kids later, John began
to consider other options. “Well I’m 48 and my youngest is ten. It’s kind of a joke
because every birthday Janice asks me what I want and I say I would like a vasectomy.
She thought she might want another one but when the boys started getting into their
teenage years it was like ok we’re done,” says John. Dr. Pedro Marcucci is a Urologist
with Lee Memorial Health System. He consults couples almost daily about getting
vasectomies. “It’s not uncommon to have patients who come in because their wives
are afraid or they’ve had complications from the birth control or they have had
mishaps while getting pregnant on the pill or with an IUD so they look for a simpler
and safer alternative.” When you compare the surgical options for men and women,
physicians say vasectomies are much easier and less risky. Dr. Marcucci says, “Tubal-ligation
is a major surgical procedure. The vasectomy is a minimally invasive procedure it
takes literally 15 minutes in which you just cut the tubes and basically the patient
is sterile from there on.” He adds that many vasectomies can even be safely reversed.
“It should not be considered as a reversible procedure but certainly it’s easier
to reverse the tubes of a vasectomy than to reconnect the tubes, the fallopian tubes
of a female. So, it’s safer it’s reversible in some conditions.” Reversals are much
more successful between two and three years after a vasectomy. Urologists agree
that vasectomies should be on the top of the list as alternatives to preventing pregnancies. |
|
|
|
