By Kate Halim
“What kind of question is this? Why should I do a vasectomy when my woman is the one who should make sure she doesn’t get pregnant? It’s a woman’s duty to do family planning. What if I do a vasectomy and lose all my children? What happens,” Mr. Ikenna Obiora said.
Vasectomy is a surgical procedure for male sterilization or permanent contraception. During the procedure, the male vasa deferentia are cut and tied or sealed so as to prevent sperm from entering into the urethra and thereby prevent fertilization of a female through sexual intercourse.
Obiora, a 46-year-old businessman based in Lagos was visibly irritated when asked if he would have a vasectomy done to plan his family. He said that women should stop shying away from their responsibilities and do their part to make sure family planning is successful.
According to Obiora, a father of five children, it is not in the African culture for men to undergo any form of family planning method. He said that from time immemorial, it is women who have the responsibility to plan their families.
“It is the duty of women to know their bodies, know what they should do so as not to get pregnant because the responsibility of family planning lies with them”, he added.
Gbenga Odunusi told Saturday Sun that even though he knows that birth control is very important, he remains an unyielding advocate of the natural right to choice.
He added that unplanned parentage is becoming an increasingly glaring problem in Nigeria and the number of derelict children in Lagos is enough evidence of that.
However, he insisted that women remain the primary factor in this situation. “Women who do not want to get pregnant can refuse to have sex with a man who can get them pregnant, simple,” he opined.
Odunusi said: “Even if a man refuses to get a vasectomy or use a condom, the woman can simply refuse sex with such a man and there will be no case of unwanted pregnancy.”
He said he would not get a vasectomy done for personal reasons but insisted that women have the greater responsibility when it comes to birth control. He added that women should make sure they take care of their bodies and do everything possible to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
Kelechi Deca said he doesn’t have an issue with doing a vasectomy if he has to but he said he is a full-ledged condom person. The father of four explained that a lot of people are not educated about vasectomy and how it can help one plan his family.
According to Deca, he said he believes the cultural norms around Vasectomy are wrong, basically because a large number of men above 55 are struggling to the experience morning glory. “So it doesn’t make one less man, and after having kids what else does one need ejaculation of sperms for?”
Deca explained that Vasectomy won’t stop men from ejaculating, but it will only stop the ejaculation of sperms, not the fluid that carry sperms.
Mr. Philip Olaniyi said his wife doesn’t want to hear him talk about undergoing a vasectomy because the procedure is irreversible. He said when he mentioned it to her because she insisted that she wouldn’t take birth control pills due to the body changes and hormonal imbalance that comes with it, she lost it.
“I was discussing family planning with my wife. She refused to consider birth control pills. I then told her I would do a vasectomy and she got angry. She asked me what if we decide to have kids later in future.”
Ejikeme Ikechukwu said vasectomy sounds scary. He asserted that he would not undergo the procedure because it might be dangerous for his manhood later in life.
Ikechukwu noted that he had heard of birth control pills for men which makes then unable to impregnate a woman for the period they are taken but he wouldn’t try a vasectomy for any reason.
“One reason why I won’t try a vasectomy is because it might affect my performance as a man during sex. If a man can’t perform, he will lose his woman to a man who can do better and I don’t want to take that risk”, Ikechukwu added.
The father of three said another thing that scares him about vasectomy is how sperm is discharged from the body since the sperm flow is cut and sealed during the medical procedure. He wondered if this non discharge of sperms wouldn’t have a negative long term effect on his body.
Martins Gboko wondered why a man should go through vasectomy when he is not the one to carry the baby. He said he wouldn’t go through with this procedure when there is an option for condoms.
According to Gboko, “Even though I feel ladies’ pain on this issue, the truth is that men don’t have wombs so they definitely won’t bother much about this procedure to be honest. It may be a little selfish on the man’s side, I agree but it is what it is.”
“The reversal is the problem. Vasectomy is akin to cutting up ones womb,” Ebuka Omerah told Saturday Sun. He added that if the procedure wasn’t irreversible, he wouldn’t have a problem with it and if the questions about the side effects are not addressed, he doesn’t want to hear about it.
“What if my kids die in a crash? What if I realize that kids aren’t even mine, where do we go from there? These questions if not properly addressed will most likely leave me with a very common answer which is no to vasectomy,” Omerah said.
Peter Oguche said his only concern when it comes to considering undergoing the procedure is whether there are competent professionals and equipment for it in Nigeria.
Oguche stated: “It is not enough to pick Information from a country that has things in place to a country that is yet to even understand itself. I don’t want to be a lab rat in this country.”
Oguche said he wonders why men should consider vasectomy when they are not done having children whether the procedure is reversible or not because it is too much risk to consider such option.
To Mr. Johnson Agwu, vasectomy or any family planning method is not biblical because God told us to be fruitful and multiply. He told the reporter that he didn’t see the need to plan his family.
Agwu said he has six children and would love to have more because his father had 15 children and his grandfather had over 20 children. He revealed that his intention was to have ten children but he didn’t know why his wife didn’t get pregnant again after giving birth to six children.
“We should stop tempting God by trying to stop having children. He told us to be fruitful and replenish the earth. Why are we now playing God by doing family planning and hindering pregnancies? I won’t do a vasectomy because it’s not biblical”, Agwu added.
“I don’t think I can do this kind of family planning because from the information I gathered, the procedure is risky with attendant side effects,” said Bukola Adeyemi.
Adeyemi described vasectomy as a surgical procedure for male sterilization or permanent contraception, and the risks include temporary local inflammation of the testes, and long-term genital pain among other things.
However, Adeyemi said he would rather go for other family planning methods instead of undergoing a vasectomy. He confessed that he was not ready to deal with the side effects of having a vasectomy done.
A medical practitioner, Dr. David Omonaiye, described vasectomy as the male birth control method which is very effective and almost irreversible.
Omonaiye stated that from the practical perspective, it is considered a permanent method of male birth control, although he said it could be reversed with advanced technique.
He stated that vasectomy involves the cutting of the two vas deferens through a surgical procedure to prevent the supply of spermatozoa from getting to the semen.
“It is usually an outpatient procedure. The vas deferens is the pipe through which spermatozoa move from the testes to the phallus”, he said.
How effective is the procedure, you asked. Omonaiye said that for some individuals, it could be the best form of family planning. “It is for men that are absolutely certain that they do not want have more children,” he emphasised.
Said he: “The person who wants to choose this type of family planning must be sure beyond any shadow of doubt that, they would not want to change their decision, because once vasectomy is done, it will be hard to reverse it. So, the decision should be made after a lot of reflection and counselling.”
He noted that men shy away from it because it is difficult to reverse and also due to social and cultural reasons.
When it comes to family planning, Omonaiye told Saturday Sun that the different family planning options would be tabled before a man who wants to plan his family. He said the advantages as well as the demerits of each method will be made known to him to decide which one he wants.
Omonaiye debunked the common notion that vasectomy affects a man’s sexual performance. He said that the procedure doesn’t hinder the man from sexual enjoyment, fulfilment and ejaculation.
He said: “After the procedure, the man or partner should be on another form of family planning for three months, and then do a seminal fluid analysis (SFA) to ensure that his ejaculate no longer contains sperm cells before he can be certified sterile. If not, he might still impregnate a woman.”