Pros & Cons on Tubal vs Vasectomy

A month after my last son was born I developed gall stones and a month after that was scheduled for surgery to remove my gall bladder.......like you, we were trying to figure out who should get "fixed" and since I had to go in anyway, we tried very hard to get everything coordinated with the 2 different docs so I could have both procedures at the same time, it's not "major surgery" anymore it's all done laproscopic (where they make tiny holes and stick a camera in. I could have gone back to work the next day if I'd have needed to.....for the gall bladder and the tubes I ended up with 4 tiny incisions that didn't even require stitches! Other than having a tiny baby to care for, my recovery was speedy and virtually pain free! Good luck with your decision. I don't know who your insurance is, but I have Kaiser Perm. and it was an "out patient" procedure and it only cost me $50!

1 mom found this helpful

I had a tubal almost 30 years ago, and have never regretted it. No problems, no aftereffects (I also combined mine with an abdominal surgery I had to have anyway).

While the notion of having one's husband take responsibility has its charms, I simply wanted to be sure that *I* would not ever become pregnant by any means. That security meant a great deal to me.

Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

A vasectomy for a man is not a major surgery like a tubal is for a woman. Plus you need to be caring for the new little one. Have him go in and do the vasectomy. Plus, you are the one that carried the babies and gave birth now it is his turn for the responsiblity of birth control.

I hope this helps.

1 mom found this helpful

Many years ago, my now-ex-husband and I decided we weren't going to have children. We went through this decision process, and determined that a vasectomy was the best choice. It's less-invasive, has less potential for complications, etc. etc. etc.

We split up, I remarried, and now have two lovely daughters. During my second pregnancy, I was faced with the same decision again, as two kids was our limit. This time I had the tubal... but only because I was having a caesarian delivery.

Even with the keyhole tubals they can do these days, there's just bigger risks when working deeply inside the body than at the surface.

Oh, and if your hubby does get the vasectomy, my ex- highly recommends ice packs the first day. He got the advice from his brother, and both men were up and about with minimal discomfort within 48 hours of the procedure.

1 mom found this helpful

My husband had a vasectomy a couple months ago, and I think the recovery was easier than he expected. For the first day I babied him after we came home, put bags of frozen peas on his "area" (funny, but our kids kept wanting to open the bag and snack on them!) and brought him a special lunch in bed. He had it done on a Friday so he could rest over the weekend - we still ended up going to the zoo on Saturday and he was just fine - and then he was back at work on Monday. He went to a great little clinic that his doc recommended in Sand Point called The Vasectomy Clinic - creative, I know. There is a lot of good info on their website (www.drsnip.com) if you want to see what the procedure involves. They use a no-needle, no-scalpel process, and are very sensitive to most men's fears about the whole thing. I just think that overall it's so much less invasive and fewer risks for men, and we've carried the pregnancies and given birth and already ransacked our bodies in the process, so let them take a little for the team. :-)

1 mom found this helpful

Vasectomy is a much much simpler procedure than tubal ligation, with much less risk, and is almost always reversible. If you're not sure yet, I'd use the ovulation method in the meantime.

hello----i would say to have the tubal the same time as your other surgery. i had one years ago and had no trouble at all, nothing to fool with and what a relief! of course if your hubby wants to take care of this, that is nice too, since you had the kiddies and went thru lots!

I have the same question and am responding so I can see responses! Sorry to do that to you - there must be a better way.....

Hi M.,
Last summer I gave birth to my 3rd child (2 boys, 1 girl) who was our *surprise* baby. I was 30. My husband & I decided that if I can give birth to 3 kids, he could do his part by getting "fixed" (as we have joked).
His proceedure took all of about 15-20 minutes at a great place in Bellingham. He did it on a Friday so he could relax all weekend as the doctor advised. By Monday he was back to work and all in all, it was a very smooth event.
My doctor said that it is much more invasive of a surgery for a woman and the recovery is much harder. You know how hard the recovery can be from having kids!
Good luck with whatever you decide and if you have any questions, feel free to contact me. :)

PS. The cost of a man to have the procedure done is about a quarter of the cost for a woman.

There is another option as well. There is a new product called Essure that provides the benefits of a tubal without the surgical aspects as they ustilize the bodies natural openings.

In our family, my husband was reluctant to "get fixed" but agreed I had too many complications in pregnancy to risk it again. But he had still heard "horror stories" about men having complications and didn't know if he wanted to risk it. It seemed silly to me because of the greater risk and time involved with the woman's tubal than with a vasectomy. However, because our insurance covered it (mostly), I decided it was not an issue and told him I'd do it, because I was the one that never wanted to risk getting pregnant again. I did this as a solo procedure and had no problems or complications. I remember having help for a couple days around the house though.