How about tying a "bow tie" for a man?

Contraception is an unavoidable problem in sexual life. Using condoms, IUDs, birth control pills, female sterilization, it seems that all contraceptive methods focus on women, and "sexual infertility" seems to be a problem they need to face alone. Sexologists say that the contraceptive method with the least side effects is vasectomy, also known as male sterilization.

Women have many contraceptive worries

This was the seventh time Ms. Zhang had gone to the obstetrics and gynecology department for an abortion. The doctor sternly taught her, "You are so old, and you still don't know how to protect yourself." Although her husband used condoms during their sexual intercourse, condoms did not keep her safe, but instead caused her to have accidents repeatedly.

57-year-old Mrs. Liu had been suffering from persistent right lower abdominal pain for more than ten years. After an examination by a gynecologist, she found that the IUD that had been placed in her uterus for more than 30 years had broken and shifted, and most of the IUD had penetrated the uterine wall into the pelvic cavity. The hospital had no choice but to perform an exploratory laparotomy on her.

Ms. Wang is also worried about the issue of contraception. Because of long-term use of contraceptives, her menstruation is irregular and she has gained a lot of weight. Ms. Wang feels very distressed: Is the responsibility of contraception only borne by women?

"If the conditions are met, the purpose of contraception can be achieved by blocking the male vas deferens. Male sterilization is much less traumatic than female sterilization," said Sun Zixue, chief physician of the andrology department of Henan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Some people compare male sterilization to "tying a bow tie" on the vas deferens, which is somewhat descriptive. Specifically, a 0.5 cm incision is made above the scrotum on both sides, the vas deferens is found, and a knot is tied 0.5 cm away from each vas deferens. The middle vas deferens is then cut off, and the wound is sutured after the bleeding stops. The entire operation takes about 20 minutes, and you can rest for an hour after the operation and go home.

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Male sterilization concerns

"There are men who choose to have their vas deferens blocked, but the number is relatively small. According to our hospital's clinical data, the number is less than five per year," said Sun Zixue. "There are many concerns about male sterilization. The reason is that it is difficult for men to overcome their psychological barriers. Most men care a lot about their so-called 'male dignity' and are afraid that the surgery will affect their sexual function."

In fact, sterilization does not affect men's sexual desire. Male sterilization only involves tying the vas deferens that transports sperm, thereby preventing sperm from being ejaculated. It does not harm the testicles at all. After sterilization, sexual intercourse still has a normal ejaculation process, and the pleasure of ejaculation can still be felt, but the semen does not contain sperm. "Male sterilization prevents sperm from being discharged from the body, but it also does not accumulate in the body. After a period of time, it will automatically dissolve and be absorbed in the body, and it is absolutely harmless to health." Sun Zixue said, "If someone feels that their sexual function has declined after sterilization, it is entirely due to psychological factors." Some men who have undergone sterilization have reported that sterilization makes them more relaxed and they get more pleasure in their sex life.

For men, sterilization surgery is very simple. However, since the vas deferens are outside the male body and the fallopian tubes are inside the female body, sterilization surgery is more complicated for women than for men, and the chance of accidental pregnancy after sterilization is higher for women than for men.

After ligation, the "bow" can be reopened

As a long-term contraceptive method, male sterilization has another great advantage, which is that it is highly reversible. That is, if you regret it, the doctor can reconnect the vas deferens through extremely delicate microsurgery, which is equivalent to untying the "bow tie" again.

"Although male sterilization has many advantages, it also requires mature consideration. Those who do not plan to have children again or those who are not suitable to use other contraceptive methods for some reasons can adopt this method." Sun Zixue said, "After male sterilization, if you want to have children again, you can completely recanalize the vas deferens to untie the 'bow' and release sperm again to make the woman pregnant, but the success rate will gradually decrease with the increase of years of sterilization." For example, in the first year after the operation, the success rate of re-introduction is as high as 70% to 80%; in the second year, it is 60% to 70%; in the third year, it drops to 40% to 50%. This is because the sperm produced by the testicles will become less and less. It is best for men to have sterilization after the age of 40.

"It is worth noting that contraception is still needed within two to three months after the operation, because sperm is still stored in the testicles after the operation, and these sperm can remain in the testicles for a long time," said Sun Zixue.