“I got a vasectomy at Planned Parenthood. Here’s what I want you to know.”  

My name is Jonathan, and my fiancé and I want to share why we made a big reproductive healthcare decision this year and what the process was like.   

We’ve never been particularly for or against the idea of having children. But a little over a year ago, we were excited to find ourselves expecting. That excitement would only last through our first trimester.   

Unfortunately, towards the end of our first trimester, we learned in an emergency room that in addition to the pregnancy having complications, my fiancé was likely already beginning to miscarry. We were told her body would likely clear the tissue on its own and be sent home to grieve and wait.   

A few weeks later, my fiancé told me something still didn’t seem right, so we headed to our local Planned Parenthood. After all we had already been through, the ultrasound technician confirmed we had experienced an incomplete miscarriage, and that we would need care to clear the remaining tissue.   

Anyone who has experienced a miscarriage (or, in our case, an incomplete miscarriage) knows it’s a very traumatic, very scary, and very emotional experience. For me personally, it was probably one of the most terrifying things I’ve ever experienced – and that’s saying a lot.   

I had already considered the idea of getting a vasectomy. But especially after watching the person I love most in this world endure that kind of grieving, pain, and fear, I decided I never want them to have to go through something like that again. I decided to get a vasectomy right then and there.  

Reproductive health care doesn’t just affect women or people with uteruses. It affects every single one of us and includes the full scope of reproductive care – including vasectomies! If you or your partner are considering getting a vasectomy, here’s what I want you to know from my experience.   

My fiancé and I did some research and decided to go ahead and store some of my sperm in case, at some point down the road, we decide we do want biological children. There are other options we read about like sperm aspiration, which was more expensive, and vasectomy reversals, which we realized have a very low success rate. * So, freezing my sperm seemed like the best option.   

Initially, I was reticent to have to pay for sperm freezing and storage. However, after doing the research that birthing a child costs something along the lines of $50,000 for some hospitals in Florida depending on where you labor if you don't have insurance, not to mention then be in the right financial position to be able to care for a child, and, well, the sperm storage cost was put into perspective for me quickly.  I pay around $100 a year.   

 *At Planned Parenthood of South, East and North Florida we educate patients that vasectomies are meant to be a permanent form of birth control, and while vasectomy reversals do exist – they are not always effective or successful.  

From the time I checked in to the front desk to the time I drove myself home, my entire vasectomy appointment only took about an hour.   

The vasectomy procedure itself was only about 20 minutes. 

Planned Parenthood offers “the modern vasectomy” or what they call the “no-scalpel vasectomy.” That means they’re not using anything sharp or having to cut to find the tubes carrying the sperm.   

There are no stitches or bleeding. It really is as simple a procedure as there is. A small puncture is made to reach the tubes.    

Apart from some mild discomfort (swelling) the following day, which I treated by taking ibuprofen, I had no side effects from my vasectomy. They use lidocaine to numb the area. It’s the same thing you get at the dentist for a cavity.  

I got the procedure done on a Wednesday, had to work that Friday, and had no problems going back in those two days.   

Afterward, I also bought some boxers they recommended for some extra support, and they were probably the most comfortable pair of boxers I've ever owned. (HINT: Planned Parenthood sells these at the front desk.) 

Getting a vasectomy at Planned Parenthood requires two appointments. The first is just a consultation and education appointment, and then, if you decide this is the right path for you, the next appointment is the procedure. During my consultation, I learned so much about the procedure, including that a vasectomy doesn’t change sperm production, hormones, or anything related to erections or ejaculations.   

In fact, I learned that about 98% of what you ejaculate is the supportive fluid for the sperm that comes from glands like the prostate gland, whereas only about 2% is the actual sperm. A 2% change in ejaculation will not be noticeable whatsoever.   

Similarly, as far as erections go, the blood vessels that cause erections are not impacted during the procedure.   

It’s honestly get-it-and-forget-it birth control, or as my Planned Parenthood doctor said, “like having fruit without the seeds.”  

Twelve weeks and 20 ejaculations after your procedure, Planned Parenthood will set you up with sperm testing to be sure the vasectomy procedure worked. The sperm testing kit they have was much cheaper than others I had seen.   

Tubal litigation is a much more invasive, painful, and expensive procedure compared to a vasectomy. Not to mention, unless you’re over a certain age, it might be difficult to find a doctor who’s willing to perform tubal litigations or hysterectomies due to underlying systemic sexism and prejudice. 

It turns out I’m not alone in Florida’s abortion bans being a central motivating factor for deciding to get a vasectomy. In fact, overall, there’s been an estimated 35% increase in vasectomy consultation requests nationally from before the fall of Roe V. Wade to after. Now, in Florida, living under an extreme abortion ban, it’s a relief and a weight off my chest to know that we won’t deal with any surprises or challenges to accessing care.

I highly encourage other Florida families who are done having children or don’t want children to consider a vasectomy for themselves.   

As far as I can tell, this has been an amazing decision for my fiancé and myself. I can’t thank Planned Parenthood enough for making this procedure affordable and accessible.   

- Jonathan