Category Archives: Vasectomy

History of Eugenics Movement with Vasectomy in America | Minnesota

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Was there a eugenics movement in America? If you haven’t heard of eugenics it is the study or belief in the possibility of improving qualities of the human species or human population by discouraging reproduction by persons having genetic defects or presumed to have inheritable undesired traits (negative eugenics) or encouraging reproduction by persons presumed to have inheritable desirable traits (positive eugenics) Does this sound familiar?

Eugenics was a movement to improve the human species by controlling hereditary factors in mating. The eugenics movement began in the late 1800s in Britain. Francis Galton, an English scientist, coined the term in 1883 and founded the Eugenics Society of Great Britain in 1908. The American Eugenics Society was organized in 1926.

The origin of Eugenics in America started with Albert Ochsner, professor of surgery at the University of Illinois. In 1899 he published, Surgical Treatment of Habitual Criminals. His list of advantages of dealing with criminals using vasectomy was:

1. It would dispense with hereditary criminals from the father’s side.
2. Aside from being sterile the criminal is his normal self.
3. It would protect the community at large while not harming the criminal
4. The same treatment could reasonably be suggested for chronic inebriates, imbeciles, perverts and paupers.

Eugenics was accepted and procedures were carried out without any legal authority in the United Stated. The first state to introduce a compulsory sterilization bill was Michigan in 1897, and Indiana became the first state to enact sterilization legislation in 1907. In time 32 states had eugenics programs permitting sterilization of insane and feeble minded individuals and 12 states included sterilization of criminals. While California had the highest number of sterilizations, North Carolina’s eugenics program was the most aggressive of the those states. Over 60000 men were sterilized with vasectomy in the United States from 1909-1924. By the 1960’s, the eugenic sterilizations slowed to a trickle and eventually stopped as many state statues were overturned due to legal challenges.

Recovery from No Scalpel Vasectomy | Minnesota

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The recovery from no scalpel vasectomy can be uneventful if the patient reads and fully understands the post procedure instructions. You are encouraged to ask for clarification if you have any questions on the post vasectomy care. You are usually allowed to drive yourself home after surgery if you don’t need to take any sedatives, but you have to arrange for transportation if you will be sedated. The trauma from no scalpel vasectomy is so small that patients rarely need any sedation.

The post-operative discomfort is quite mild after a no scalpel vasectomy. Local anesthesia given during the surgery will begin to wear off about an hour after the procedure. You may take Tylenol or Ibuprofen for pain control, but narcotics are rarely needed. Many patients who had no scalpel vasectomy in my clinic don’t take any pain medications. Pain and swelling can be minimized by elevating your legs, staying off your feet and applying ice packs to the scrotal area after surgery.

Antibiotic ointment, gauze and an athletic supporter will be placed over the wound immediately following the vasectomy procedure. Continue to apply the antibiotic ointment daily until the skin puncture site is completely healed. The athletic supporter should be worn for at least 2 days.

Once you return home after the vasectomy surgery, relax and rest. It is not practical to apply ice pack in the first day because you have high stack of gauze under the athletic supporter. You may apply the ice packs intermittently for the first 48 hours to reduce swelling in the scrotum after the gauze is removed. Overall, Applying ice packs are no longer critical for no-scalpel vasectomy since the trauma is so minimal.

Patients in the Minneapolis and St. Paul areas often notice scrotal swelling in the first week following the surgery. The swelling often increases with activity, and may be relieved by wearing the athletic supporter and resting.

You may shower and spend more time walking on the second day. Soaking in a warm bath is allowed once the incision has scabbed and can be soothed and beneficial to healing. Heavy lifting or vigorous physical activity should be avoided for 1 to 2 weeks.

A small amount of bleeding is normal but active bleeding is not. Call the physician if you experience a significant amount of bleeding or swelling from the incision site or within the scrotum.

Infection is very uncommon following the no scalpel vasectomy procedure in Minnesota. Contact your physician if you notice excessive redness, tenderness, warmth or drainage from your surgical site.

Bruising over the scrotal skin is common following vasectomy. Call the physician if the scrotal sac is severely bruised and/or expanding in size.

Some men develop a small, tender nodule where the vas was cut. These sperm granulomas can produce discomfort, but almost always resolve spontaneously. You can have the site re-examined if you are concerned.

Semen examinations should be performed to document the success of the vasectomy. Another form of contraception (such as condoms) should be used until you have been notified by your physician that you have had one or two negative semen checks documented. During the first week after surgery, there should be no sex and/or ejaculation. It is important to note that the patient will not be considered sterile for several months after vasectomy. It is important to resume ejaculation because it takes up to 20 ejaculations for any remaining sperm to be released. A semen sample will be examined about 12 weeks or 20 ejaculations after surgery to determine if sperm is still present.

Psychological Effects of Vasectomy | Minnesota

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Men have been surveyed about their vasectomy satisfaction since the mid 1970’s. The goal was to find out whether they were happy over all with their decision to have a vasectomy based on their sexual satisfaction and happiness. 90% agreed that their sexual desires and satisfaction levels were the same or better than before they had their vasectomy. 7-10% of men surveyed regretted their decision. The first surveys being done were just asking whether men were satisfied or dis-satisfied with their procedure. It did not ask about how they were feeling about it.

When the men were interviewed about their feelings and the psychological aspect was looked at, it was found there were valid reasons for men regretting their decision. Some were feeling bullied by their wife into having the procedure done. Others felt good about their decision but major changes in their life made them feel regretful. Life changes such as divorce and re-marrying or re-partnering with someone have a big impact on men especially if their new spouse or partner wants to have children. Up to 5% of men have a vasectomy reversal. A higher percentage would probably have a reversal done if it wasn’t for the cost and low success rates. Men who are typically younger when they have a vasectomy tend to have more regrets down the road.

Dr. Steven Shu performs no scalpel vasectomy in Minneapolis & St Paul, and he always requires a consultation and likes to make sure that both partners are in agreement before doing a vasectomy. It is important to have both couples on the same page in order to maintain high satisfaction levels in the emotional and sexual relationship.

Doctor in UK performs a DYI vasectomy

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So far in Minnesota, we haven’t had any doctors reporting a DYI surgery but in the UK they have a brave doctor who gave it a try. Dr. Jonathan Heatley of Horsham, West Sussex in the UK, performed 3 vasectomies and decided that he should be number 4 that day. He and his wife already have 3 boys who are ages, 12, 14, and 16 and he knew at some point he wanted to get a vasectomy. He called in his nurse and his wife who works with him as the practice manager. The doctor, who admittedly was a little nervous, gave himself a local anesthetic. His main concern was making sure that the area was numb before he started his procedure. His nurse and wife were standing by to help and everything went smoothly. He had his wife stepping on the foot pedal of the apparatus as needed for the DYI surgery. The procedure he performed on himself only took 20 minutes. Then he went home, relaxed and read a book. The next day he was back to work and just a couple days later was out riding his bike around town. Here is proof that a vasectomy is relatively pain free and nothing to be afraid of.

Chronic Pain After a No Scalpel Vasectomy in Minnesota

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No scalpel Vasectomy is a minimally invasive procedure that can be done safely in the office. The complications of no scalpel vasectomy in Minnesota are very rare. The bleeding and hematoma formation is the most common immediate complication after vasectomy. The most significant long term side effect in the Minneapolis and St Paul areas is chronic pain after a no scalpel vasectomy. About 1 in 1,000 men experience pain afterward, and we haven’t had any reports on the chronic pain from our vasectomy patients yet. After a no scalpel vasectomy, men continue to produce sperm at about the same rate as before, and those sperm have to go somewhere. They typically build up in the epididymis, which is a 16-foot-long tightly coiled tube behind each testicle. Some men become sensitive to the buildup of pressure in the duct and begin to experience pain.

What can be done to relieve the pain? In many cases, taking an anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen, wearing a supporter and sitting in a warm tub to increase blood flow is enough to treat the problem. Eventually the pain goes away.

If it doesn’t, there are several options. We can redo the vasectomy, leaving the testicle end open, allowing the sperm to leak out, which relieves pressure in the epididymis. The downside is that this increases the chance that sperm will find a new channel into the ejaculate, so we have to monitor men by doing periodic sperm counts. Another option is to remove the epididymis, which is a much more complicated procedure than the original vasectomy. Or some patients may consider reverse the vasectomy, which always relieves the pain. The drawback, of course, is that the man is fertile again.