When Dr Phil McGraw was 29, he had a vasectomy. At the time his wife was pregnant and he had made up his mind that he didnt want more children. Six years later, he would walk back into the clinic and demand for a reversal. Six months later, his wife was expectant.Having the procedure at such a young age was the biggest mistake I ever made.It is for this reason that doctors advice that when going for some long term family planning measures, you need to be absolutely sure. Vasectomy offers 99 per cent effectiveness and is suitable for men who are certain that they do not want any more children. According to Marie Stopes Kenya, this male sterilisation surgical procedure takes approximately 15 minutes and its failure rate is about 1 in 2,000 men. The Kenya Obstetrical and Gynecological Society reports that only one per cent of Kenyan men have undergone vasectomy despite its high effectiveness and surgical simplicity. However, since most vasectomies are performed in private facilities rather than in the public health system, the statistics could be an underestimation.It is estimated that 40 per cent of pregnancies globally are unplanned. In addition, most women are shunning hormonal contraceptives due to associated side effects. The modern man has grown more aware of the struggles their female partners go through and is more willing to take up family planning options. The options are nevertheless limited for men. Condoms, withdrawal (coitus interruptus and vasectomies are the most readily available artificial methods men can use. A man produces over 1,500 sperms per second which makes it challenging to come up with the most suitable reversible family planning method for men. But not to worry, there are options in the pipeline that will give the man more options and power over how many children he can have.WATCH OUT FOR:1. The Contraceptive gel

For More of This and Other Stories, Grab Your Copy of the Standard Newspaper. Read Now

Do not miss out on the latest news. Join the Standard Digital Telegram channel HERE.

Original post:
Birth control options for the man who wants to take charge - The Standard

Comments are closed.