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| "I asked my husband about sterilization and got the answer that you should do it, but don't tell me." Why do men shy away from their sterilization? |
When I told him (my husband) about the sterilization, he immediately got angry. He scolded me and said, "I spoke today, so I spoke, but there will be no further discussion."
Saying this, Rashmi's (fictitious name) eyes filled up.
Rashmi works as a cook in a society in Delhi NCR. He originally hails from West Bengal and has three children.
She does not want to have any more children. When she asked her husband to get a vasectomy, his response was, 'If you want to get it done, get it done.' Why are you calling me?' After that, he angrily said that 'there will be no further discussion on this.'
Rashmi wanted a good education for her children, so she gave in and got herself sterilized, which required her to stop cooking at home.
But is Rashmi the only one who has to listen to harsh words from her husband in the name of sterilization?
What do the statistics say?
In most families in India, women still bear the responsibility of family planning.
According to data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the country, 5.16 crore people were sterilized between 2008 and 2019. Among them, the rate of male sterilization was only three percent.
Sterilization is a trend in developed countries, but in other developing countries of the world, including India, there is not only a lack of awareness about it, but it is also not considered appropriate.
According to a 2015 United Nations report, sterilization rates in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States were 21.7 percent, 21 percent, and 10.8 percent, respectively.
Keith Loves, a 23-year-old content writer and father of one from the US, underwent a vasectomy with his partner after a painful birth control procedure.
"If one of the spouses had to undergo sterilization, I think it would have been an easy decision for me," he says.
Keith also says that 'I believe that women should not be given the responsibility of both birth and control of the child.'
Alexander Pastczak, assistant professor of urology surgery at the University of Utah in the US, says that most men who come for vasectomy say they are doing it because "their wife told them to do it."
The scenarios of women's equality and its reality in Indian society are very different.
Even if we talk about male sterilization, it is considered a kind of taboo, which people consider very inappropriate to even talk about.
What is sterilization?
Dr. Joy Narayan Chakraborty, the senior urologist at Guwahati Apollo Excel Care Hospital, explains, "A vasectomy (vasectomy) is a surgery in which a cut is made in a man's testicles and the tube or duct that carries sperm is cut."
Joy Narayan Chakraborty says, 'This surgery is usually done under local anesthesia, meaning the person undergoing the vasectomy is conscious and feels no pain. This surgery takes very little time.
He also states that the sterilization surgery takes about 20 minutes.
According to a report by India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, sterilization is 99% effective as a contraceptive, but there are many misconceptions associated with sterilization, such as that the surgery causes sexual problems. is made
Dr. Joy Chakraborty says, "It is a myth, a misconception that there is any kind of hindrance in the sexual process after sterilization."
According to the report of the National Rural Health Mission, sperm continues to be produced after castration. After the vasectomy, the sperm cells do not mix with the sperm but dissolve in your body as the tube is cut.
It is further clarified that castration does not cause obesity or weakness and men can work hard as before.
According to researchers at Stanford University's Department of Urology, the number of sterilization cases increased after the US Supreme Court banned abortion rights in 1973.
This trend regarding sterilization has been seen in many countries of the world. An 850 percent increase in searches for the word vasectomy was also seen in Google Trend Search.
In New York, California, Florida, Iowa, and elsewhere, sterilization rates among men under 30 doubled.
There, between 2007 and 2009, the number of vasectomies for men aged 18 to 45 increased by 34 percent.
Where should the surgery be performed?
Dr. Soni Mehta, a urologist at Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai, says that the surgery can be done at a government hospital.
"Government hospitals don't charge for this surgery, so you should get it done there," insists Dr Joy Chakraborty.
Besides, he says, 'If you want to get it done in a private hospital, you have to spend money according to the facilities there.'
When asked if any precautions need to be taken before and after the surgery, he said, "There is no need to take any special precautions. Yes, if you are a diabetic, the sugar level should be normal before the surgery."
Can people with kidney or prostate problems undergo this surgery if they want to? On this, he said that yes any common man could do this work is
On the other hand, regarding its effects on sex life, Dr. Soni explains, 'After this surgery, sperm can continue to come in your sperm for about six months, so precautions like condoms should be taken.'
How do you know if your semen is sperm-free? On this, Dr. Soni says, "Seminal analysis test is done for this."
This test is also called a sterilization test or sperm analysis.
Take care not to have any sexual activity for two to three days before giving the sample for this.
By doing this, the number of sperm in the semen is at its highest level.
Important Questions About Sterilization
For years there has been concern about whether sterilization will have any negative effects on men's health in the future.
The report of the National Rural Health Mission states that several research reports have revealed that sterilization is associated with heart disease, testicular or prostate cancer, immune system impairment, or any other type of disease, but such diseases This operation has nothing to do with or have any adverse effects.
Are there any sexually transmitted diseases after sterilization?
A report by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India clearly states that sterilization cannot prevent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) from entering the body of another. Using a condom is the most effective method for this.
Can vasectomy surgery be reversed?
A report by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India states that this can be done.
Although it is important for men undergoing vasectomy to be aware that it can be reversed, it is a complex surgery and success cannot be guaranteed.
India's growing population is taking an alarming shape. On August 15, from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India's population is 140 crore.
Also, according to the United Nations, by the year 2050, India's population will exceed 150 crores.
After the country's independence, India became the first country in the world to introduce a family planning program to reduce the birth rate and reduce the rate of population growth.
In later years, especially from 1972 to 1980, family planning became a widespread population control campaign.