Jump to content

Vasectomy


springbank
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hi, Has anyone managed to get a Vasectomy in France as when my wife enquired about having it done(6th kid due in Feb, not planned, a great big surprise and all precations being taken we thought), the doctor was very surprised and said that it wasn't allowed in France. He would quite gladly have paula in and tie off, remove or what ever, but not me. Any helpful comments would be appreciated,

Thanks Graham

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes my husband had one done. My gyn/ob told him quite gravely that he would need to see a psychiatrist if he wanted such a thing done. So a few years later we spoke to our GP and he put us in touch with a gyn/ob who would do this.  Cost about fifty, sixty quid and was done at the maternity hospital.

French men will visibly crindge when it is mentioned and seem, well our friends seem to think that it is some sort of equivilant to being fully castrated and nothing will work again, so they don't get it done.

True it seems so much more acceptable for women to have far more intrusive surgery than a 'snip'.

My advice is just to ask your GP and your wife's gyn/ob and insist that you really want this doing. If you keep on trying you will find someone to do it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with TU's comment about French attitudes (especially men's) If you want to see a group of panicked, gabbling frenchmen, just mention vasectomy

Part of the problem is due to the fact that, for many years, any sort of sterilisation was outlawed by the law against mutiliation Sterilisations could only be done when another pregnancy would put the woman's life at risk. This is also why female sterilisation seemed more logical.

I remember watching a televison report on a couple asking for a sterilisation not long after it was made legal and the poor doctor was trying desperately to convince them to have a vasectomy, to their horror.

As TU says, they are more generally dealt with by ob/gyns although apparently more and more urologists now do them.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with TU's comment about French attitudes (especially men's) If you want to see a group of panicked, gabbling frenchmen, just mention vasectomy

Part of the problem is due to the fact that, for many years, any sort of sterilisation was outlawed by the law against mutiliation Sterilisations could only be done when another pregnancy would put the woman's life at risk. This is also why female sterilisation seemed more logical.

I remember watching a televison report on a couple asking for a sterilisation not long after it was made legal and the poor doctor was trying desperately to convince them to have a vasectomy, to their horror.

As TU says, they are more generally dealt with by ob/gyns although apparently more and more urologists now do them.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My husband had his vasectomy done this year. You will have to find a Urologist who will do it. It is not illegal in France anymore but quite unusual. However, there is a 3months cooling-off period, i.e. on your first visit to the urologist you will

a) have to take your wife along to show that she is supportive of your decision and

b) he will give you a document to sign and another appointment for 3months later, in order to leave you time to change your mind.

The other thing is that it has to be done under general anesthestic.

My advice, and my husband's as well, is go to the UK and have it done there.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My husband had his vasectomy done this year. You will have to find a Urologist who will do it. It is not illegal in France anymore but quite unusual. However, there is a 3months cooling-off period, i.e. on your first visit to the urologist you will

a) have to take your wife along to show that she is supportive of your decision and

b) he will give you a document to sign and another appointment for 3months later, in order to leave you time to change your mind.

The other thing is that it has to be done under general anesthestic.

My advice, and my husband's as well, is go to the UK and have it done there.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My OH had it done in the UK and I also had to sign to agree to the proceedure.

A general anaesthetic? Wow - that's a bit extreme, it's a five minute op; a local should sufficiently do the job.

A couple of months ago, some brave chap, agreed to be the subject of a vasectomy broadcast LIVE on ITV's This Morning programme!! No problem, I don't know what all the fuss is about, it was just like going to the dentist.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It was not performed under a general when my husband had his done. This is just being silly really and dangerous as we all know that general's always have risks attached to them. For such a simple operation a local is quite sufficient everywhere including by at least some doctors in France. And frankly if the doctor had said that we simply would have found another doctor.

 

Strangely when we were discussing this one day the only bloke who was with us who wasn't cringing and was asking intelligent questions was greek.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had a vasectomy about 20 years ago - in England. I went along to see my GP and he gave me a list of phone numbers of clinics (Marie Stopes etc) and suggested I enquire about the "snip of the week".

In the end I had it done by another GP. It took half an hour, was painless under local anaesthesia, and I went back to work afterwards. I suffered little discomfort (although for a few days the left side of my scrotum would have won prizes in the aubergine section of the local produce show.)

Female sterilisation is invasive and relatively difficult. Male sterilisation in relatively simple. I suspect that many French people imagine it involves the use of bricks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote]Hi, Has anyone managed to get a Vasectomy in France as when my wife enquired about having it done(6th kid due in Feb, not planned, a great big surprise and all precations being taken we thought), the ...[/quote]

Graham,

Think long and hard before having this done.  Not all is as simple and straightforward as it seems.  Try a Google search and find out the potential problems.  Simply insert 'post vasectomy pain' for example, and see what you find.  With experience I find that most surgery has potential problems, and this one does.  It is not just a question of possible long term post vasectomy pain, there is also a potential long term health problem.  Don't want to rain on your parade and all that, but I wish the Internet was in full swing when I decided to have it done.  Incidentally before all the women jump in, I am not suggesting that it is any easier or safer for them to have it done.  I am simply trying to guide you towards an informed choice. 

Jon

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Joh, just about every man I know in the UK has had a vasectomy, did it hurt a bit afterwards, yes, that is what they say. Long term probs nope.

Now please just use a little imagination and try and envisage what simple child birth is like. I saw the blxxdy big pair of scissors my doctor used on me to facilitate the birth and stop tearing, please note 'tear' is in tearing. I felt the stitches go in all of them and by all the cuss things I can think of, I felt them come out. We won't mention the labour pains or anything as 'banal' as that eh, or the cost of bringing up children.

In fact this poor bloke who posted is going to have to buy a bus to transport his family.

My husband had a vasectomy for me, not because I went on about it or anything. Also it was several years after our gyn/ob had been very much against, when he said that I had been on the pill long enough and it was about time that he took responsibility for contraception. AND we won't go on about the side effects of the pill either eh!  And what a wonderful thing it was, the physical side of our relationship has just got better and better and better, I hadn't realised how I had worried about getting pregnant before.

 

ps springbank, everything is in working order same day, although for several weeks until the last test is done and comes back as firing blanks there is still a risk of pregnancy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On the basis that I am an utter coward, I think that I should definitely want a general anaesthetic before letting some masked maniac set about hacking away at my goolies with a damn great knife! Out of curiosity, did the law on mutilation cover breast enlargements? The distaff side and I were commenting only recently that implants seemed to be conspicuous by their absence around here. Mind you, signs of human life can frequently be conspicuous by their absence around here...
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had a dreadful reaction after my vasectomy - 30years ago now - incredible pain, infection, weeks off work and the like.

Interesting, it came back to haunt me last week - had another scan for my ongoing condition  after an infection and the doc decided I should have my bobbly bits looked at.  Told me that I had a 'kyste' on my tubes, which he described in some detail and showed me diagrams etc. When I explained that I had been vasectomised, he told me not to worry about the cyst, it was probably scar tissue.

The fact that he didn't send me off for more tests sort of put my mind at rest.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote]My OH had it done in the UK and I also had to sign to agree to the proceedure.A general anaesthetic? Wow - that's a bit extreme, it's a five minute op; a local should sufficiently do the job.A couple ...[/quote]

Susie

I can pretty much assure you that it isn't a bit like going to the dentist. It's not the fact that I will loose the ability to pass sperm but has more to do with sharp objects opening me up and being "snipped". No I wouldn't be tempted, either, to have it done on morning television.

My brother had it done a few years ago and said it hurt quite a bit. He also thought he could get it reversed when his wife wanted to have children. He couldn't and so they are childless.

I prefer a visit to the dentist anytime. Now I might consider doing that on morning television.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It seems that men either get no pain or lots of pain from this. no middle ground. Mine was dreadful, plums swollen up like melons for ages afterwards, much to my wife's amusement. Couldn't drive a car for a week! When I went back to check with all my so-called friends that had said it was easy it turns out all the pain-free ones were done privately and all the "bad" jobs done on the NHS. ho hum. We live and learn.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...

Stumbled across this topic whilst searching for something else - to do with phones!!!!!

I went to my GP in the UK and said 'I want a vasectomy'.

'OK' he said 'I'll get you an appointment with the hospital'.

'Just a minute' I said 'aren't you supposed to argue with me - we do not have any children'.

'No' was the reply 'you are adult enough (some who know me would dispute this) and you will be given some counselling at you outpatients appointment'.

So I attended the appointment and the consultant, who was reading some notes and never looked at me pointed at a document and said 'sign that and we will send you an appointment' and that was it.

Come the big day and I had to be at the hospital for 2pm. I opted for the local anaesthetic. Into theatre and there was the consultant and the sister.

'Where do you work' I was asked - amazing the banal small talk that you can have whilst 'your life' is in their hands

'For this NHS Trust'

'Where?'

'In the estates department'

'Have you seen the state of the ceiling in this theatre'

I could hardly say no - as I was looking at it.

The conversation then changed with the sister asking me 'how many children have you got?'

'None' I replied

The consultant - yes, the one who was too busy reading at my OPD appointment - suddenly splutered 'none, you should have had some counselling'.

It was a bit late now - he had done over half of the job.

Back in the ward at 14:55 a nurse came and said to another chap an myself 'You can both go now'.

Another chap in the ward said 'why can they go and I can't'

'Ah, they were big boys' he was told (wait for the story don't make your own up) 'they only had a local anaesthetic and not a general'.

At home there was just a little ache, virtually nothing at all. So, I decided to go down to the pub in the early evening and had no problems and the ache had gone by next day.

I know some people do have reactions but, compared to female sterilisation - or childbirth, then even if a man does have an adverse reaction then it might balance things up a little.

Paul

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hadn't seen this thread either.  Bravo to all you men who have had it done.  I had no idea it was such common practice in the UK.  I don't know how many have it done in France, but in our circle of friends, acquaintances, etc. I have never heard of anyone.

It must be just a way of thinking and "educating", the same as some do not even like to have their dog castrated, nearly as if it is them!  But they are coming round to it, so perhaps eventually they will accept vasectomy.

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Graham, I applaud you.  I cannot beleive the French attitude towards this.  To suggest that your wife have major surgery, having already spent four and a half years of her life pregnant, given birth to six children, and spent god knows how many months breastfeeding, seems ridiculous!  You stand your ground and make sure you get it done.  A friend of mine recently had it done here, but had to go through the same 'shock horror, why isn't it your wife we're operating on?!' scenario.  

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...