STERILISATION VS VASECTOMY
Brisbane woman and marie claire copy editor Hilary Board shares her story
One of the key aspects my partner, Liam, and I bonded over when we started dating was our mutual desire not to have children. We had both always felt this way and it was refreshing and exciting to have found someone who was on the same page.
About seven years later, in 2019, while on a health kick, it suddenly hit me: why am I still on the pill? I discussed it with Liam and said I’d ask about “getting my tubes tied” at my upcoming doctor’s appointment. I recall checking this rather casually at first with my female GP. Perhaps I was too casual. I received a brush off from her along the lines of my being so young still. I was 37.
A few months later, while at an appointment with another female GP, I raised my interest in tubal ligation and my desire to know more. After squirming in her seat and looking highly uncomfortable, she changed the topic back to another issue we had been discussing. I felt confused. I’d expected more support – especially from female doctors.
Liam suggested we change tack and book a consultation at a vasectomy clinic instead. The specialist there was proactive from the outset. He asked Liam just two questions: how old are you and are you all done having children? After telling him that he was 37 with no kids, due to us being child-free by choice, the specialist replied, “Well, at that age you are old enough to know what you want.” He booked him in then and there for an appointment in a fortnight.
The vasectomy took just 20 minutes, and cost about $500. It required a day of rest afterwards, and a three-month wait before it started working (then it’s more than 99 per cent effective at preventing pregnancy).
The specialist mentioned he had noticed more and more young child-free men seeking vasectomies. He also noted that reversal surgery is possible. According to Vasectomy Reversal Australia, the procedure results in “the restoration of sperm in up to 90 per cent of men and successful pregnancy in the majority of couples ... particularly when the duration from vasectomy to reversal is less than 10 years and your partner is under 35 years of age”.
I look back on this experience as an example of sexism, prejudice and how differently men and women can be treated by the medical profession. My partner was instantly heard, respected and trusted, whereas I was not – even by other women. It’s just not good enough.