STORY BYMichael Taylor, author of the book “A New Conversation with Men,” has a few things to tell men about vasectomies.
No. 1: Having a vasectomy does not diminish masculinity and sexual prowess.
No. 2: The minimally-invasive procedure, which is a reliable form of permanent contraception, is not painful. Really, it’s not.
He would know. In November, Taylor was Dr. Grant Fowler’s first patient to undergo a needle-free vasectomy.
Fowler, professor and vice chairman of the Department of Family and Community Medicine at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, told Taylor he would use a new air gun to numb the area. Taylor would feel a few puffs of air near the scrotum, and then should feel almost nothing as the vasectomy was completed.
“I thought, ‘A puff of air? Come on. There’s no way that can work,’” Taylor recalls.
Fowler’s response: “Trust me.”
Taylor and his wife had previously discussed their options for preventing pregnancy and decided together that a vasectomy for him would be a safer, more effective choice than a more invasive tubal ligation for her.
“I love her,” Taylor says, “and this seemed like the smartest thing to do.” So he put his trust in Fowler, allowing him to proceed.
Taylor heard a sound like a quick release of air from a bike tire. Then Fowler punctured the skin in one location, gently lifted out the vas deferens—the tube through which the spermatazoa pass—removed about a 1-inch section from both sides and placed a sliver of tissue between the cut ends. The tubes and this tissue were then clipped and closed with tiny tantalum (similar to titanium) clips.
“There was never any pain,” the 48-year-old Taylor says.
His doctor’s office visit took less than 45 minutes, and the single incision Fowler made to sever the vas deferens didn’t even require stitches.
The minimally-invasive vasectomy, which is sometimes referred to as a “scalpel-less” vasectomy, is not a new procedure, but the air gun that is now used to numb the area is a recent improvement.
“I’m quite impressed with the improvement in anesthesia,” Fowler says. “Before, we used local anesthesia in the form of novocaine, also known as lidocaine, and this required the use of tiny needles. A lot of patients hated the needles more than the procedure itself. And while the needles let you inject the licodaine, it didn’t always diffuse throughout the area.
“Now we use an air gun injector for the lidocaine. It requires much less anesthetic and yet appears to be much more effective,” he says. “Instead of counting on the needle to get the right spot with the lidocaine, this just very lightly blows lidocaine all around the vas deferens and numbs it very well.”
Fowler recommends that his patients take a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory pill, such as ibuprofen, an hour or so before the procedure. This even minimizes the sensation associated with the puff of air.
Fowler also advises that his patients take it easy and not lift anything weighing more than 15 pounds the first few days after the procedure.
Taylor says that particular instruction was a bit of a challenge. “There was no pain, so I would go to lift something, and I would have to keep reminding myself that I shouldn’t do that,” he says.
Fowler recommends the procedure to anyone who wants permanent contraception. “It’s scalpel-less, needle-free and virtually pain-free,” Fowler says. “If you don’t want an unplanned pregnancy, this is a reliable, permanent form of contraception that has a success rate of over 99 percent.”
Last Updated: 1-21-2009Editorial Board | Legal Disclaimer | Privacy & Security | Contact Us
©2000-2006 Office of Institutional Advancement, UT-Houston
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Dr. Grant Fowler is professor and vice chairman of the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the UT Medical School..
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Eating healthy
reverses metabolic syndrome
Dr. Tasnime Akbaraly of University College London and her colleagues were interested if healthy eating could actually turn-the-tide and reverse metabolic syndrome, which is having 3 or more of the following risk factors: excess abdominal fat; high triglycerides, hypertension, low levels of HDL the “good” cholesterol, or type 2 diabetes. Having metabolic syndrome doubles a persons’ risk of heart disease and greatly increases the odds of developing type 2 diabetes.
The researchers studied 339 British civil servants with metabolic syndrome, and how closely the adhered to the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) to see if it could help reverse metabolic syndrome. The AHEI is a set of published nutritional guidelines by the Harvard School of Public Health in 2002 that emphasizes whole grains, fruits, vegetables and decreased red meat consumption.
Five years into the study, nearly 50% no longer had metabolic syndrome. People who followed the AHEI guidelines the closest were nearly twice as likely to have reversed their metabolic syndrome. The results of the study were published in Diabetes Care, online July 29, 2010.
Dr. Alice Lichtenstein, an expert on diet and heart health from Tufts University in Boston who was not involved in the study said, "It's not about focusing on individual components of the diet, it's really the whole package, and that becomes important because it means that if one of the components of a healthy diet is to eat more fruits and vegetables, just buying a pill saying that there's a concentrated extract of fruits and vegetables is probably not what's going to help you."
Call and make an appointment with Wellness Coach Sam Hester, CWC, CPT, LWMC, at 713-500-3327. It's confidential and free. For more information on the wellness services provided, visit UT Counseling and WorkLife Services.
