As most of my clients know, I’m fairly direct and open to dialogue when it comes to discussing health and medical issues. I was fully transparent when I documented my emergency appendectomy surgery two years ago, and then again when I had my Grand Mal Seizure earlier last year. I wrote blogs in great detail on both of these experiences – from the TWO enemas I received prior to my appendicitis diagnosis, to my feelings of fear and anxiety as I awaited for my results from my MRI on my brain after my seizure had occurred.

I’ve always wanted my clients to feel comfortable talking to me about any and all of their health and fitness concerns regardless of how embarrassing or personal they might be. In return, as a way to show that I can relate and understand to some of these issues myself, I’ve always felt it important to share some of my own concerns with these very same issues and topics as well.

And when it comes to sexual health, I believe this should be no different. I think if more people were open to sharing even some of their most embarrassing sexual moments, fears and concerns, we would all feel more comfortable discussing and learning more from one another when it comes to this sometimes taboo subject. Sure, you can always do a Google Search to read about a topic or experience that you’re secretly embarrassed to learn about. But sometimes it helps when you know a person who is well versed in the  topic, may have gone through that experience themselves, and is willing to share their thoughts, feelings and insights directly with you.

And never being one to shy away from controversy, for this week’s blog I’m going to do just that. So brace yourself (and don’t read any further if you’ve just eaten) as I’m going to provide you with a play by play to my vasectomy procedure that took place earlier this week.

A Few Facts

– I don’t want kids.

– I’ve never wanted kids.

– And if I ever do decide that I want kids, I’ve got some frozen reserves in stock (I told  you not to read further on a full stomach).

– I enjoy sex.

– I don’t enjoy the risks of unplanned pregnancy.

– Condoms break

– The contraceptive pill has some adverse side effects for women.

– The “Pull Out Method” only works 78% of the time

– Next to abstinence, vasectomies are considered the most effective form of birth control due to their long success rate of over 99%.

– Vasectomy Surgery has a very low complication rate at less than 2%.

– Having a Vasectomy shows that you’re a responsible adult that practices proper birth control if you have truly made the decision to not have children moving forward.

My Vasectomy Surgery

My vasectomy surgery (which was more of a procedure than a surgery) took less than 10 minutes to complete. It was relatively painless and I was able to drive myself home afterwards. Besides the fact that I have to ice my “boys” a few times each day, for 30 minutes each time, for the next two days, I really haven’t been inconvenienced in any way. In fact as I write this week’s blog, I’m at my gym in between sessions training clients (while icing my boys).

Before booking my vasectomy procedure I did a lot of research online to ensure that I was choosing the surgeon that I felt would be best suited for me. My surgeon had excellent reviews and numerous testimonials from patients he had operated on over the years.

The cost of the procedure was $1200 cdn (before taxes). Now I understand that this might seem costly for 10 minutes of work to some people. However if you add up the costs of even just one year supply of diapers, formula, baby clothes, more diapers, baby food and babysitter/daycare service, that $1200 dollars is really just a drop in the bucket.

After my procedure was completed, I returned home, ordered takeout and laid on my couch while watching movies for the remainder of the day. This was without a doubt the most relaxing day I had in the past few months.

There’s Nothing Sexier Than a Man That Takes Responsibility for His Own Birth Control

Guys, why do some of you feel that it’s the woman’s responsibility to take care of birth control? I mean it’s a woman’s right to do as she wishes with her body (as long as she doesn’t live in the U.S.) and if your woman decides not to put an IUD into her body or take a contraceptive pill everyday that can potentially cause adverse side effects on both her health and hormones, then you should support her decision 100%. And men, if she does decide to use either a contraceptive pill or insert an IUD, then the least you can do is cover the cost (or at least half of the cost anyways).

I am a firm believer that if you are a sexually active Heterosexual Man and have made the conscious decision to never have children, then a vasectomy should be at the top of your “To Do List”. Ofcourse this is not an easy decision to make and not one that should be made irrationally or overnight. Yes, it’s true that vasectomies can be irreversible. However most Doctors do not recommend attempting to reverse a vasectomy as it can be painful, costly (almost triple the cost of the original vasectomy procedure) and is not guaranteed to work. Therefore when making the decision, you really should be 100% certain of your final choice.

There are no conclusive studies or evidence that suggests that a vasectomy can have a negative impact on a man’s health. Trust me, I researched this endlessly and have had the discussion with two of my clients who are respected and experienced MDs, as well as my Surgeon prior to the procedure. I also personally know 3 other men who all had Vasectomies well over a decade ago and have experienced zero complications since.

My Decision

At the end of the day, as a Man, the decision to have a vasectomy is ultimately your decision to make. Ofcourse if you have a committed partner who you plan on spending the rest of your life with, this might be a decision that you decide to make together.

With that being said, I believe that knowledge is key when it comes to making this heavy of a decision. You don’t need to be a complete expert in the Birth Control Field (I certainly am not) however I do suggest educating yourself not just on vasectomy procedures, but also on other forms of male contraceptives incase you are unsure of whether or not you would like to have children in the future, but just aren’t ready for them at this point in time.

Just remember that female contraceptive methods are much more expensive and have more serious side effects than male contraceptive methods. This ofcourse is mainly because birth control methods for women involve hormones, while there are no birth control methods for men that have any impact on our hormones whatsoever. This might be something you want to factor into your decision making process, especially if you don’t want to put the person you are with at any potential health issues in the future.

Whichever decision you make, just make sure it’s the decision that works best for you and for those that you love most.

Yours in Good Health & Good Sex,

Nick Cosgrove
Forever Fit Performance