Free Large Pizza for the Vasectomy Patients on 11/17/2017, 5th World Vasectomy Day | Minnesota

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On November 17th, World Vasectomy Day, the largest male-focused family planning event in history with over 1,200 providers in 50+ countries, takes the world on a historic 24-hour vasectomy-athon organized out of our headquarters in Mexico. We will e-travel from country to country conversing with vasectomy providers, advocates for male involvement in family planning and the men who choose a vasectomy as an act of love. WVD kicks off at 5:00 p.m. on November 16 with a joint ceremony taking place in Mexico City and on the island nation of Kiribati (where it will be 10 a.m. on Friday, November 17th). With conversations, live vasectomies and dozens of films, and in partnership with DKT Mexico, DKT International and the Centro Nacional de Equidad de Genero y Salud Reproductiva (National Center for Gender Equity and Reproductive Health), we will explore the current state of male involvement in family planning, learn about global efforts to make vasectomies accessible and celebrate men everywhere who have made the heroic decision to care for their families, communities and our planet. Join us!

It might seem odd to dedicate an entire day to vasectomies, but for Dr. Shu and the other 1,200 doctors participating in World Vasectomy Day on November 17, it’s an important event that spreads awareness on the most effective but underutilized methods of contraception: the vasectomy.

With industrialization and modern medicine making it safer and easier to give birth and raise children, the world population has skyrocketed- current projections predict the world population will plateau at 11 billion. High population puts a strain on resources like food, medicine, and energy. In many areas of the world that are seeing rapid population growth, sexual education and medical resources have not caught up to other areas in society. Vasectomies are excellent for family planning in areas that are not well developed and do not have the resources that most of us take for granted.

This will be Dr. Shu’s 5th year participating in the event, and the One Stop Medical Center will offer free large pizza.

More about Sperm Banking | Minnesota

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Sperm banking, in the simplest of terms, refers to the practice of storing sperm for future use. Sperm can be stored indefinitely when cryogenically frozen, and can be thawed and used to fertilize an woman’s egg. A pregnancy conceived using frozen sperm is no different from a normal pregnancy.

There are two types of sperm banks- private sperm banks, and donor sperm banks. Donor sperm banks, which many of you may have heard of, purchase sperm provided by donors and sell it to those who want children. Donors are screened and added to a database, and buyers can select which donor they prefer.

A private sperm bank, unlike a donor sperm bank, only cater to individual families. Private sperm banks may be associated with a fertility clinic, or may be a branch of a national corporation. The sperm sample is either collected locally, at a clinic, or mailed overnight through a home collection kit. Many doctors may recommend two samples taken on separate days, just to be safe.

Before the sperm can be collected, the donor’s blood must be tested for diseases that could be transmitted through sperm. This includes HIV, hepatitis B and C, and many more. If the donor tests positive for any of these the sample may be unusable.

Once collected, the a small portion of the sample is tested to see how well it holds up to freezing and thawing, and whether or not it will be viable for future use. If all goes well, the sperm is slowly frozen in liquid nitrogen tanks at -190C, where they can be kept stable almost indefinitely. Even twenty year old sperm can still be useable.

When the time comes for the sperm to be used, the bank coordinates the transfer of the frozen sperm to the fertility clinic, where it is thawed and prepared for the insemination procedure. Usually, only a small amount of sperm is required. That way, if it doesn’t work the first time, there will be enough for future attempts.

Why Sperm Banking?
Private sperm banking is excellent for men who wish to conceive a child but have lost reproductive function or have issues with infertility. It is also great for men who are unsure if they want a child, but wish to have the option later on in life. Men who plan to undergo vasectomy are good candidates to have their sperm frozen. Sperm banking is highly effective and well established method of ensuring future reproductive success.

5th World Vasectomy Day | Minnesota

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It might seem odd to dedicate an entire day to vasectomies, but for Dr. Shu and the other 1,000 doctors participating in World Vasectomy Day on November 17, it’s an important event that spreads awareness on the most effective but underutilized methods of contraception: the vasectomy.

With industrialization and modern medicine making it safer and easier to give birth and raise children, the world population has skyrocketed- current projections predict the world population will plateau at 11 billion. High population puts a strain on resources like food, medicine, and energy. In many areas of the world that are seeing rapid population growth, sexual education and medical resources have not caught up to other areas in society. Vasectomies are excellent for family planning in areas that are not well developed and do not have the resources that most of us take for granted.

At World Vasectomy Day, local Mexican and international doctors will provide free vasectomies, along with live-streamed interviews with family planning experts, patients, and their families. This will be Dr. Shu’s 5th year participating in the event, and the One Stop Medical Center will offer free large pizza.

This year’s World Vasectomy Day is being held in Mexico. Doctors around the world participating in World Vasectomy Day will provide as many vasectomies as possible in a span of 24 hours. The goal of World Vasectomy Day is to spread awareness of vasectomies and to dispel myths associated with them through community outreach and open dialogue.

Vasectomy and Sex Life | Minnesota

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Vasectomy is undeniably the most effective long term birth control for men, with half a million men undergoing the procedure in America every year, but some remain hesitant despite being assured of its safety and reliability. Faced with the idea of being infertile, the vasectomy can be a daunting proposition to many men. Fertility and sexual virility is heavily tied with the masculine identity, and to some vasectomy may be equivalent to surrendering some of it. Here’s why you shouldn’t worry.

A fear of many men looking to get a vasectomy is the loss of sexual desire or satisfaction after getting snipped. What many people don’t seem to realize is that vasectomy rarely affects sexual pleasure physically- when men suffer erectile dysfunction or loss of sexual arousal after vasectomy, it is almost always psychological. Physically, vasectomy should not affect libido- vasectomy is simply the severance and obstruction of the vas deferens. Besides the semen containing no semen, there should be no difference in sexual function after a vasectomy. Of course, complications exist but with innovations such as no-scalpel vasectomy making the procedure increasingly less invasive, they are incredibly rare.

Getting a vasectomy shouldn’t be seen as losing your manhood. Most men who are nervous about losing their manhood quickly realize that their sex is just as good as it was before, if not better. A study done on the effects of vasectomies on the sex lives of couples proved just that. In the study, a sample of 76 heterosexual couples were given a survey, one for the man and one for the woman, which score parameters such as sexual desire, coital satisfaction, erectile function, etc, before and after the procedure and the results were very interesting!

In men, scores on the questionnaire revealed that quality of the sex was about the same before and after the procedure. Erectile function, orasm function, sexual desire, sexual satisfaction all either increased a slight amount or stayed level. The result, though unsurprising, should put some potential patients at ease. What was much more interesting was that in women, scores were higher in almost all areas, showing significant increase in sexual desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, and overall satisfaction. Women in relationships tend to be more satisfied sexually after their partner gets a vasectomy. This is further evidence that most issues with sex after vasectomy are psychological rather than physical.

Another study examined the relationship between vasectomy and frequency of sexual intercourse in populations of vasectomized and non-vasectomized men. The results also seemed to support that sex is better after vasectomy- vasectomized men had sex an average of 5.9 times a month compared to 4.9 times per month in non vasectomized men. Furthermore, vasectomized men were 81% more likely to have at least once a week.

So if the idea of losing sexual potency after a vasectomy scares you, don’t be- there’s really nothing to worry about. Studies have shown that vasectomy either has no effect or increases sexual satisfaction, and that vasectomy actually increases the frequency of intercourse.

Reasons of Vasectomy Failure | Minnesota

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While vasectomy has long been thought of as permanent, ending your ability to have kids, this is clearly not the case for Jets quarterback Antonio Cromartie, who had twins last year with his wife Terricka, conceived well after his vasectomy a couple years ago. The couple found out about the pregnancy completely on accident one day when his wife went to the ER with a bad stomach. However, it was clearly not an issue for the footballer and they kept the baby. He’s now welcoming their 14th child into their home.

Why do vasectomies fail?
Vasectomy failure is the occurrence of pregnancy or failure to achieve azoospermia after a reasonable period of time following vasectomy. The positive result of Post Vasectomy Semen Analysis (PVSA) can be stressful for couples looking forward to anxiety-free intercourse, without the threat of pregnancy.

The most common reason is intercourse immediately after the vasectomy without protection. Even after the vas deferens (the tube that carries sperm) is cut and sealed, sperm will still be in the tube and it takes some time in order to ensure the vas is completely cleared out. Men typically have to ejaculate 20-25 times before all the sperm is gone. Unprotected sex before this time can definitely lead to unintentional pregnancy. This is the reason that you continue to use protection for three months after your vasectomy.

The second most likely, though less common, is recanalization failure. Actually, recanalization is the most common reason for technical failure in vasectomy, and it could happen even in a experienced surgeon. In vasectomies, the vas deferens is cut and the ends are blocked. Recanalization occurs when the sperm is still allowed to pass and go into the ejaculate. Sperm try and often succeed in penetrating through the end of the blocked vas. After a couple months of this, there can be many tiny holes in end of the vas deferens where sperm may flow out through pseudo channels.

Recanalization following vasectomy should be suspected if motile sperms or rising sperm concentrations are seen after a initial or routine PVSA has shown azoospermia or Rare Non-motile Sperms (RNMS). Recanalization can be either transient or persistent based on the results of serial PVSAs. Pregnancy due to recanalization is estimated to occur after approximately 1 in 2000 vasectomies or less often. The incidence of recanalization is very likely greater than the reported rate of pregnancy after post-vasectomy azoospermia because not all recanalizations result in pregnancy.

About half of the recanalizations will close (seal by scarrring) by itself in 6 months and contraceptive success will be achieved, the patients don’t need to repeat vasectomy. Other 50% patients who have persistent recanalization need to repeat vasectomy.

The third and least common is technical failure resulting from a surgical error such as occluding one vas twice without occluding the other vas or failure to identify the very rare situation of vas duplication on one side. An extra vas is a very rare condition. Very occationally, the wrong tube (unusual large blood vessels) can be mistakenly blocked. Technical failure is characterized by persistently normal or nearly normal motile sperm counts and sperm motility after vasectomy, as if the procedure was never done! It happens more often in a inexperienced family physicians or surgeons.

It is recommended to get sperm tested three months after the vasectomy to ensure that it worked. But our patients usually don’t need to have a semen analysis periodically if the vasectomy performed in our clinic is confirmed to be successful. Dr. Shu has performed about 1500 cases of vasectomies, all of them being successful!

Vasectomy is a big life decision. It is important to know if the vasectomy was successful or not, so get your sperm tested after your vasectomy!