FELLAS – would you brave the “snip” to stop having kids? Football’s Wayne Rooney did just that.
As his wife Coleen reveals in explosive Disney+ documentary The Real Wagatha Story, the Birmingham City manager had surgery in 2018 after the birth of Cass, the youngest of their four sons.
ShutterstockIs a vasectomy the right thing for you?[/caption]
InstagramWayne Rooney is among around 11,000 British men who have a vasectomy on the NHS each year[/caption]
Former Manchester United and England star Wayne, 38, is among around 11,000 British men who have a vasectomy on the NHS each year, most of them in their late thirties like him.
But a further 40,000 people search “vasectomy” on Google each month, suggesting more men are considering undergoing the procedure.
GP and sexual health expert Janine David tells Sun Health: “Vasectomies are a marvellous thing. It’s quick and simple, done at your GP surgery.
“It carries very little risk and most men find it much easier and more satisfying than expected.”
But in many cases pride and fear of pain continue to put men off the procedure, even though it’s a largely safe and uncomplicated op that sees men back in action in the bedroom within two to three weeks.
Today we hear from four men, and their partners, after they took the leap . . .
‘It took 25 minutes, I didn’t have any pain’
THERE is still a stigma surrounding having the snip – but it didn’t stop James Kenewell.
James, 30, a data analyst from Peterborough, waited six months to be given the operation, on November 6.
SuppliedJames Kenewell had applied for a vasectomy on the NHS app[/caption]
He had applied on the NHS app, after talking with wife Laura about contraception options.
For the couple, a vasectomy seemed their best bet having already had two children, Rosalie, five, and two-year-old Oakley.
Laura, 28, is having the contraceptive injection at the moment, but this increases her risk of osteoporosis and broken bones.
James says: “Loads of men seem to think that vasectomies make you less of a man. But that’s ridiculous. It didn’t put me off having it done.
“I was back at work two days after having the procedure done at my regular GP.
“It took about 25 minutes and I didn’t really have any pain – to the point where I’d wondered if they’d done it.
“I woke up the next day with a bit of discomfort but took a couple of paracetamol and it was fine.
“My wife has had two C-sections. So, if she can get cut through the middle, then I can get a small incision.
“It makes more sense to take the bullets out of the gun than to wear a bulletproof vest.
“After Oakley was born in 2021, he needed major surgery to close a hole in his heart. That meant months of stress and sleepless nights for my wife and I.
“The thought of risking the same journey with a third child is just too much. We’re lucky to have a boy and a girl.
“For us, that’s enough.
“A few hours’ discomfort for me, or a lifetime of my wife taking pills? It just doesn’t compare.”
With just a one-in-2,000 chance of pregnancy occurring post-vasectomy, Laura says the pros vastly outweigh the cons – and worry-free sex is only a bonus.
She laughs: “We’re married so sex doesn’t happen much anyway.”
‘Sex will feel more satisfying without baby worry’
CRAIG NIGHTINGALE and wife Sian are relying on the fact a vasectomy is 99 per cent effective, as stated by the NHS.
Brewer Craig, 37, and Sian, 36, an NHS administrator, are parents to Sophia, ten, Isabel, 22 months, and four-month-old Harri.
SuppliedCraig Nightingale is on the waiting list for the op[/caption]
After having Sophia, the couple, from Nottingham, struggled for more than eight years to conceive their second child.
But less than a year after welcoming Isabel into the world, Sian and Craig discovered she was nine weeks pregnant with Harri.
While they couldn’t be more smitten with their latest arrival, one surprise is more than enough for them.
Craig, who is on the waiting list for a vasectomy, says: “Isabel was a handful – she screamed for six months straight and poor Sian could barely leave the house.
“A vasectomy is the logical option.
“I’m nervous about being awake for the surgery – hearing what’s going on and seeing the blood – but it’ll be OK.
“And sex will feel so much more satisfying without the worry of getting pregnant.
“Knowing she will never have to go through another painful pregnancy has lifted a huge weight off Sian’s shoulders, too.”
Sian says: “I experienced severe pelvic girdle pain, to the point where I could barely walk. And my mental health suffers when I’m on the Pill.
“If I had to pick between another nine months of pain and a traumatic birth, or a quick snip and a few hours of swelling for Craig, I know which of those I would choose.”
‘Back to normal in three days, we had sex two weeks later’
SOME mild discomfort, swelling and bruising of the scrotum is normal after a vasectomy.
But a study this year, led by the Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, claimed vasectomies are much less likely than expected to cause complications and that leaflets given out to patients are outdated.
SuppliedAustin O’Malley worried over surgery complications[/caption]
For example, men are told chronic scrotal pain affects up to five per cent of patients.
But after reviewing data from 94,000 vasectomies over 15 years, the team found the rate was in fact as low as 0.2 per cent of patients.
The doctors said they hoped the new evidence would encourage more men to face their fear.
Austin O’Malley, 44, who lives with wife Katie, 43, a bakery operations director, and their two children Darcy, 14, and ten-year-old Cerys, was one of many men who avoided the surgery for a while, owing to fears over complications.
Austin, an IT consultant from Preston, says: “I had a vasectomy in 2021, but it could’ve been a lot sooner. Katie and I talked about it for years, but selfishly I didn’t want it done. Scare stories had put me off. One chap said he suffered from throbbing pain for six months.
“But after many years, I finally realised those men were scaremongering, and that I couldn’t hide for ever.
“Katie had been taking the Pill for many years and I knew it could be harming her health.
“Part of the deal was that I would get more sex. But it didn’t really work out that way. We’re too busy and tired, and the kids take up our time.
“That said, I was back to normal in three days and had sex two weeks later.”
For Katie, Austin’s vasectomy was satisfying in more ways than one.
She says: “I really appreciated Austin having the snip for me.
“But a vasectomy isn’t anywhere near as painful as childbirth.
“I did get a bit of pleasure out of his discomfort. I’d endured so much, so why shouldn’t he?”
‘Bigger trousers relieved discomfort, it was small sacrifice’
ANOTHER reason men are getting the snip could be the rocketing cost of living.
Research by Yorkshire Building Society found couples pay almost £1,000 a month to raise just one child for 18 years, while the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development claims British childcare costs are among the highest in the world.
SuppliedPhil Smith says: ‘During the surgery, I didn’t feel a thing’[/caption]
The stats ring true for Phil Smith, 43, a marketing manager.
Worried about the financial strain of more kids, he took birth control into his own hands.
Phil, who lives in York with wife Clare and their two sons Ted, five, and Harry, one, says: “A big fear of mine was the cost involved with having a third child.
“A third child means a bigger car, higher childcare costs, a bigger house. So a vasectomy seemed like a no-brainer to ease our worries.
“But even now, seven years later, people still ask me why I did it, like it’s a bad thing.
“During the surgery, I didn’t feel a thing, but a week later I was still very sore and couldn’t lie down without any pain.
“The recovery was the hardest part and I bought bigger trousers just to relieve the pressure down below. But all that discomfort was a small sacrifice to make.”
For Clare, 44, Phil’s vasectomy was a welcome relief.
She says: “He’s squeamish and struggles even when he gets a cold – but he bounced back quickly.
“Plus, our sex life improved no end after Phil’s vasectomy – it’s more regular and we’re more relaxed, knowing there will be no surprises.”
WHAT TO EXPECT IN A VASECTOMY
GP Janine David answers some questions about the proceedure . . .
WHAT IS A VASECTOMY? The simple surgery, usually done at your GPs’ practice, involves removing a 1-2cm section of the tube that carries sperm and ejaculatory fluids from the testes to the “outside world”.
DOES IT HURT? The anaesthetic stings, but just for seconds.
We need to locate the tube (called vas deferens) and getting hold of it can be uncomfortable, but not for very long.
The whole procedure takes about 20 minutes.
IS IT EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY? No. You’ll be asked for a semen sample 16 weeks after surgery to make sure it’s clear of sperm.
Be sure to use extra protection until you get a clear result.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO RECOVER? About two weeks, but you’ll feel much better after a few days.
The stitches take six weeks to dissolve and GPs recommend waiting seven days before having sex.
There may be some blood in your ejaculation – it’s normal.
WILL MY SEX LIFE BE AFFECTED? The op has no effect on testosterone or sex life.
People often find sex better, as there’s no pregnancy worry.
The failure rate is one in 2,000 or less.
WHAT ARE THE RISKS? The same as any surgery with local anaesthetic.
You may experience bruising, bleeding and swelling.
There is a small chance of infection or chronic pain.