Experiences of Jamaican men who have undergone no-scalpel vasectomy at the University of the West Indies

Abstract

Vernon DaCosta1, Tenaj Lewis1, Sean Wynter1, Loxley Christie1, John Harriott1, Joseph Frederick1, Marvin Reid21University Hospital of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica; 2University of the West Indies, Tropical Medicine Research Institute, Mona, Kingston, JamaicaObjective: The objective of this study was to assess the satisfaction and morbidity associated with no-scalpel vasectomy (NSV) of men at the University of the West Indies (UWI) as well as to determine whether preoperative counseling modulated the reported NSV experience.Methods: A 10-year retrospective cohort study of men undergoing NSV at Hugh Wynter Fertility Management Unit (HWFMU) of the University of the West Indies from January 1, 1999 to December 31, 2008. The demographics of the patients, complications of the procedure, and postoperative follow-up were assessed. Patient satisfaction with the procedure was assessed by a questionnaire.Results: During this period, 82 NSVs were performed. Approximately, 91% of the men are married, 7% single, and 2% divorced. The mean (±SD) age of the clients was 39 ± 5.8 years, the procedure was done after siring three (median) children (min = 0, max = 7) and 3.3 ± 3.8 years after the last child was born. Ninety-two percent (92.6%) reported the experience as good and not associated with any significant pain. There was one failure (1.21%) but there were no pregnancies resulting from this case. Follow-up to date has indicated that 96.3% of patients interviewed would recommend this procedure and have no regrets.Conclusion: The complication rate in this study was very low. The experiences of more than 98% of gentlemen who underwent NSV were overwhelmingly positive. Most men reported an improved libido with only a single gentleman regretting his procedure.Keywords: no scalpel vasectomy, Jamaican men, experiences