It's always the women who have to undergo painful procedures of contraception. But this time Singaporean men took up the responsibility of ensuring a good reproductive life for themselves and their wives. William Ong (34), and Alvin Chong (45) both underwent a vasectomy surgery, which is a permanent form of contraception, for the sake of their partners.
However, contrary to popular belief, men genital surgery is not responsible for reducing sexual function or sex drive.
During vasectomy, the male vas deferens are sealed so that sperm cannot travel to the urethra and thus cannot enter female body during sexual intercourse.
Ong went under the knife last November. He fathers two kids, one aged two and other four with his wife and the third child, who was conceived several weeks before the scheduled vasectomy, is due in June.
"Birth control doesn't always have to fall on the woman. My wife has already gone through pregnancy and childbirth. (Going for a vasectomy) is my way of loving her. Furthermore, we're certain we don't want more children due to affordability issues," said Mr Ong, a social worker, according to Today Online.
The trend of undergoing vasectomy is catching up in Singapore. The number has increased from 21 cases in 2015 to 38 in 2017. On the other hand, Changi General Hospital's (CGH) performs 20 such procedures each year.
Dr. Joe Lee, consultant and director of Andrology and Male Reproductive Medicine at NUH, says patients who generally opt for vasectomy are usually married men in their thirties and early forties and have at least two children.
