Every year, national days are coined to raise awareness about particular issues. World Vasectomy Day (WVD) is a national day created not only to boost the profile of the vasectomy procedure, but also to offer free information and education sessions on the surgery and its effectiveness.
WVD takes place on the third Friday in November every year, which falls on 18th November in 2022 and marks the 10th anniversary of this national day. This national day not only aims to boost the profile of the cause, it is also a day where doctors perform vasectomies as part of the annual event.
There is often stigma and fear surrounding vasectomies for various reasons, such as emasculation and decreased sexual performance, however, WVD holds a variety of educational and informative events to promote mens health, as well as discussion and participation.
A Brief History of World Vasectomy Day:
The history of vasectomies goes back as far as 1823, where the procedure was successfully conducted on a dog. Fast forward to 1897 and the first vasectomy was performed on a man in the US.
WVD was first created in Adelaide in 2012 as a joint initiative between filmmaker/journalist Jonathan Stack and urologist Dr. Dough Stein. This day was launched to encourage and inspire men to consider a male vasectomy as a safe and effective form of contraception, and to compassionately ease the responsibility of contraception on their female partners.
On the first WVD in 2012, the organisers achieved their goal of facilitating 100 doctors in 25 countries to perform over 1000 vasectomies in 24 hours. The following year, 500 doctors participated in the national day, performing 3000 vasectomies across 32 countries!
World Vasectomy Day aims:
The primary aim of education campaigns such as World Vasectomy Day is to ensure that positive messages regarding male vasectomies are conveyed to the public to dispel fears and concerns. WVD also aims to celebrate the men who have made the choice to care for their families and take this responsibility upon themselves. Vasectomies are also an excellent solution for family planning in areas where there may be limited resources available to raise children, such as underdeveloped countries. By promoting the training of doctors who can perform vasectomies, and distributing these services to over 30 different countries to make the procedure more accessible worldwide, the day aims to make a difference to those who would not have otherwise considered a vasectomy surgery a viable option.
In many cases, female partners are often responsible for using contraception to prevent pregnancy, however, as females are only fertile for a small window per month, whereas males are continuously fertile, WVD aims to promote this one-time, simple procedure to ease the responsibility on women in regards to family planning.
In summary, the main objectives of World Vasectomy Day are to:
- Increase awareness of and demystify the male vasectomy
- Provide information regarding the safety and effectiveness of the procedure as a safe and sensible choice for family planning and male contraception
- Encourage and promote the training of doctors who can conduct the procedure
- Improve worldwide access to vasectomies
- Build positive communities with participants and generate dialogue
- Ease the pressure and responsibility of women to take contraception
- Dispel myths and misconceptions about the male vasectomy, including misconceptions that the procedure can lead to decreased testosterone levels and libido
- Demonstrate how a male vasectomy is less invasive than a tubal ligation, as well as a healthier option than taking hormonal or chemical contraception, and more effective than using condoms.
Why should you consider a vasectomy?
In the hands of a professional urologist, a vasectomy is an extremely safe, minimally invasive and relatively pain free procedure, which provides a permanent contraceptive solution and has no effect on libido or sexual performance. The operation involves cutting and sealing the vas deferens, or the tubes that carry the sperm, resulting in lack of sperm in the ejaculation. The entire operation takes less than 30 minutes and has a low risk of postoperative complications or risks. The vasectomy cost also works out to be cheaper than continued use of female contraception.
While a vasectomy is considered a permanent method of contraception, it can be reversed if needed by a skilled microsurgeon. Since the launch of WVD in 2012, vasectomies are now the largest male-focused sexual health and family planning movement in the world.
If you would like to discuss if a vasectomy is the right contraceptive choice for you and your partner, you can visit your doctor or consult with a professional urologist.
References:
- National Today. 2022. World Vasectomy Day. [online] Available at: <https://nationaltoday.com/world-vasectomy-day/#:~:text=World%20Vasectomy%20Day%20falls%20on,who%20can%20conduct%20the%20procedure.> [Accessed 16 October 2022].
- WVD.org.au. 2022. World Vasectomy Day. [online] Available at: <https://wvd.org/> [Accessed 16 October 2022].
- Easy Vasectomy Reversal. 2020. Procedure Clinic. [online] Available at: <https://ezvasectomy.com/wvd-2020/> [Accessed 17 October 2022].
