The Ol' Snip-Snip

By Rebeldad Brian Reid

Biology is inherently unfair. No matter how seriously you take gender equity, men can't bear children. No pregnancy. No childbirth. No way around that. For my wife, pregnancy and childbirth were not particularly fun. And despite the occasional 1 a.m. runs to the Quickie-Mart to feed the crave du jour, there wasn't much I could do.

So when the time came to discuss ... ahem ... permanently capping our family size, I willingly volunteered to have a vasectomy. Heck -- it was the least I could do. My wife, in good humor, agreed that a little shared sacrifice wouldn't be a bad thing. I went under the knife last month.

I must report back, however, that there is no way that my procedure comes anywhere close to balancing out the physical-effects-of-pregnancy-and-childbirth ledger. Yes, it's a long 30 minutes in the operating room, but I was shuffling about immediately after the procedure and didn't pop anything stronger than a Tylenol. I would like to think this is due in large measure to the skills of my surgeon, but let's be clear: This was not a major encounter with the health care system. Not even close. Watching childbirth was a good deal more stressful than the old snip-snip.

Still, vasectomy is one of those procedures that generates a great deal of discussion. When I mentioned my plans to other guys who had had the surgery, I received all kinds of positive reports, urologist recommendations and testimonials (including some from the wives). I didn't hear much in the way of regret from those who had followed through.

I was surprised to find that I wasn't that philosophical, either before or after the procedure. I have two wonderful daughters but not a lot of longing for another one. Like our initial decision to start having children, it's hard to pinpoint the exact moment when my wife and I realized we were done, but I've never looked back. As usual, I'm curious whether my experience matches that of the masses -- anyone have second thoughts about permanent birth control?

Brian Reid writes about parenting and work-family balance. You can read his blog at rebeldad.com.

By Brian Reid |  May 3, 2007; 7:15 AM ET  | Category:  Dads
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