"Young" vasectomy?
 

Here's my problem. I'm 27, my live in GF of 5 years is 28, and during our time together we've used a bunch of different birth control options, none of which worked particularly well to both of our satisfactions, currently back to the old tried and true condoms.

I am considering getting snipped, but unfortunetly most likely within the next 3-6 months I am going to quit my job and play poker for a living full time (don't laugh), and am for at least a while going to be without health insurance, so I'm looking to get some stuff done before leaving my job (like dental.. kids.. brush your teeth, root canal's are no fun..).

I am 98% sure I never want to spawn. She's 95% sure. Does anyone have any experiences or thoughts to relate before I do this? How about information on sperm banks just in case?

Ignoring the pains I get when I hear the word "snipped", I would say go ahead and do it if you guys are that certain you don't want to have kids. Although I don't know how risky it is, I am pretty sure that it is possible to get a reverse vasectomy if you change your mind, or, as you noted, saving your sperm for artificial insemenation. It shouldn't be that hard to find information pertaining to banks online, but don't forget to take into consideration the "artificial" part of that plan.
Also, not to be corny, don't rule out adoption as a means to have children, because there are many homeless and orphan kids who need homes. Just food for thought (but don't eat kids)

Get it done while you have insurance if you are sure. I had mine done in May, and only some slight discomfort since. Once in a while, I'll bump one of the boys, and it'll be like I got kicked in the groin for about 15 minutes, but that's it. As for sperm banks, my wife looked into that, and I decided no, don't know what the costs are to keep it for you. We had 4 kids already, we didn't need any more, so none saved for me.

Had it done. The extra "sensitivity" absorb mentions does not last forever.
My only caution would be that you and your GF. This is a big decision to make, I know now a days times are a little different, but would never had made this decision without my wife . If you and your girl split, this is a very tough thing to undo, and if you end up with a different girl, she (and you) might not feel the same way.

I beleive most sperm banks are about 300$ for 5 years to store like 5 vials of sperm. Pretty good idea if you have the money to put in.

i read that the potency on frozen sperm goes down after about 3 years so i don't know what to tell you. honestly i would have a kid before i ever got snipped but if you dont want kids and are really committed to the girl i guess you could a adopt if you changed your mind.

From what I understand, doctors are wary of doing a vasectomy on younger men. Now, whats young? 27 could be young to some doctors, and older for others.... Who knows..

I am working on this right now. The doctor advised me that this is PERMANENT. Yeah it MAY be possible to reverse, but don't go into it with the thought that you could get it reversed later. (In fact I've heard that doctors won't refer you if you even mention the idea of reversal during the "interview.")

That works for me, because I am all done with the kid thing, but a single guy with no kids is something the doc might think real hard about.

All that being said, seems like doctors ought to do what you say you want done. And if you can do it with insurance, it is definetly better than without.

strikes me as a bad idea. I think having kids is one of those desisions where its really easy to do a 180 right out of the blue. You just don't know how your going feel later, or how you lass is going to.

I don't know, it just seems like a bad idea to me.

Dude! You are fucking crazy! Get this idea out of your head because you are too young. I am totally an advocate of going to the vet (see the other thread for my vas. advice), but not unless you are over 40 and/or have had a kid or two or more already. Dude! When I was 28, both my wife and I swore we would never have or want children. Guess what? We changed our minds and now we are the happiest 2 kid family on the planet and I got snipped when my second was 1 Y.O. and I was 39 or 40. I am definitely done - even if I got remarried for whatever reason later, I wouldn't want to go through kids again. I love them, but I'm done with two. What if your wife gets hit by a bus (dog forbid) and you want to re-marry, but your new wife/love wants a kid? Well, your life is fucked then. DOn't count on frozen sperm - might not last and if you have fertility problems then it won't be enough. Maybe I'm out to lunch, but I was you 12 years ago and things change. Don't limit your options yet. If you still feel the same when you, or your wife is 40 then I'd say fine. There is no way that you can guarantee that you won't change your mind. Women can (my wife did) easily overcome maternal instincts intellectually and by having a lot of fun as kidless people. But guess what? tick, tick, tick, tick.... biological clock starts ticking for them at 30 and fertility starts declining and it's all over by 40 - tick tick tick - Most of the time by the time they turn 34 or 35 they are absolutely frantic to have a kid and you will be shidada luck then buddy. I don't care what you think about adoption, it aint the same and it aint easy and it ain't cheap, etc. I did what you are doing - I had a great time with my wife - more than 10 years of kidless fun and going out, etc. - but after a while, all your friends have kids, you start getting too old to have fun all the time at clubs and bars and there is pretty much only one thing left to do - Have kids! If you don't, so what - but don't eliminate the possiblity too soon.

tick tick tick

Then again, I might be right.

1) Don't make this decision until you're 100% certain this is the person you'll be with for life.
2) Absolutely do NOT think of this as a reversible surgery. While it's possible and can be done, this is like tattoo removal. Something not enjoyable. The success rate of reverse vasectomies are still pretty low (not sure what the percentage is) and it's expensive.

Chopped at 24
 

I am 27 and was 24 when I chose to have the operation. I was counseled, seen by a nurse to outlined the procedure and inquire my motive, then later by a male nurse who did the same and discussed the unlikelihood of reversal, then met the Dr who informed me I could call it off right till the moment. I had been thinking of it for two years previous and am so glad that I did it. I feel it is both socially ethical and sexually chivalrous by taking full responsibility for birth control (the woman's operation is much more severe and pills are bad for their health). There is about 1/3 chance of reconnecting. Young men are often curious and I am talkative. One could always adopt, the world could use more good parents, but we have a hard time loving the kids that are already here. Do they really need to be blood to do that ? :rolleyes:

Vasectomy's are like 55% reversable now, not only that clam out the money to get some vials saved at a bank.

'omg u might want kids' is so 1995.

Do it if you want to, the chances of reversal failure is quite small in reality since the reversal chances go up every single year, and if it happens you still have the banked payloads.

I'm more interested to hear how that poker career took off.

Hell, if you're playing poker for a living... you don't need working junk.

That way, ya know, that one night when things don't go your way...

"Sorry, Vinny... you can kick 'em all you want. They don't work anyway!"

I was actually kinda wonderin' the same thing, myself. But, given as his one and only post was written just over 4 years ago...the world may never know.

I am 27 and had a vasectomy last October. My wife and I have 4 kids together. If not for that the doc would not have done it. Most doctors are very leery about performing a vasectomy on somebody who is young and has no children. As for the procedure it was painless and I experienced very little discomfort afterwards. I had it done on Friday and went back to work Sunday, though I took it a little easy the first week. Good luck with the poker career.

The procedure and recovery are a piece of cake... but I already had two kids and was in my 40s. It strikes me as a very bad idea for a childless man in his 20s. You have no idea what the future will bring. I'd say, don't do it.

I talked to to my doctor a few times about this. Now he just laughs and says, "I've already told you I'm not gonna let you do it."


Fucker. I don't want kids.

On the off chance someone else may wander into this thread looking for advice on the same issue, less that four years from now. I would look at the issue this way: While right now, at 22, I have things I am sure of, I also had things I was sure of at 16. I knew alot about the world and what I wanted in it. At 16 I was retarded. I didn't have a clue about a lot of the things I supposedly 'knew'. I presume at 30 I will have the same revalations about many things I 'know' now. Again at 50, etc. until I croak. I wish I had that knowledge now, but I don't.

So...I try to avoid making decisions that are unecessary and cannot be reversed at any point in the rest of my life. 55% isn't great, and the percentage keeps going up not only because reversals are getting better, but because they're getting better at doing the surgery in a way that makes it easier to reverse. In other words your surgery today might not be as easier to reverse as a surgery 4 years from now, even though the reversal rate went up.

Great points Hektore. I had it done, but that was after having two kids, then waiting 2 years (with condoms) to determine that I was in fact truly done. The pain was occasional and did last for up to 9-12 months afterward, if I remember correctly.