When Roe vs. Wade was overturned, most abortions became illegal in Wisconsin. The 1849 law only allows abortions to save the life of the pregnant person. That could put people who become pregnant at risk if they need an abortion for their health and safety.
Since the decision, more men are choosing to go under the knife to prevent pregnancy. A growing number of them are seeking a vasectomy, and doctors are noticing that patients are younger.
Dr. Peter Dietrich is an assistant professor with a specialty in men’s health and fertility at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Froedtert who performs roughly 500 vasectomies annually. He says that since the Roe v. Wade reversal, there has been widespread reports showing up to an 800-1,000% increase in vasectomy requests.
"Especially in the younger population—the early-mid 20s men—who maybe weren't thinking about a vasectomy prior and now have realized the implications of the Roe v. Wade overturning," says Dietrich. "They are a little bit more interested in and have sought to at least come to consult with us about it."
A vasectomy is a minimally invasive procedure that entails gently opening the skin with an instrument. Dietrich reports that most men do a local procedure, meaning they are conscious and feel a ten-second burn. Dietrich even lets the men pick the music to play during the process.
"I think guys think of it as this big procedure," says Dietrich. "Anytime you're cutting in a sensitive area and doing a procedure, there's all of these misconceptions, especially in the social media world of today."
Vasectomies can be a daunting procedure. There is concern about changes in testosterone, pain, cancer risks, or even the case of reversal. However, Dietrich explains that vasectomies are a safe and common procedure that actually has lower risks and higher effectiveness than a woman getting a tubal ligation.
“It doesn't affect testosterone. There have been really good studies on that. We aren't affecting the function of the testicles, we're essentially just turning off the water pipe and preventing the pipe from going. We're just fancy plumbers," says Dietrich. "We're just rearranging the plumbing.”
In the case of reversal, Dietrich reports that around 3-6% of men request a reversal, but it is best if men go into these visits with the intent of it being permanent. He explains that the longer you’ve had a vasectomy, the less likely the reversal is to work. However, men seeking out other choices for birth control have limited options.
"I certainly would not recommend that guys wait around for a pill or a less invasive way of doing this because it's unclear as to when these things could be approved or even if they will," says Dietrich. "There's been a lot of pills in the past that have been tried and gone through clinical trials and have not come to fruition. So, as of right now, it comes down to condom use and vasectomy if you're going to take the initiative as a male."
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