Vasectomies continue to rise in popularity, says Winnipeg doc

With debates continuing to rage about birth control and reproductive rights in the United States and here in Canada, one Winnipeg doctor says he’s seeing a steady influx of patients who want a quick, easy and permanent birth control solution.

Dr. Errol Billinkoff, who has performed more than 27,000 vasectomies in a 30-year career, told 680 CJOB he’s seen a significant increase in local men interested in the procedure, especially with the advent of scalpel and needle-free operations.

“It’s always been the case in Canada, for sure, that more men have had vasectomies than women have had tubal ligations, and I think that’s just been rising and rising since this no needle, no scalpel technique came around,” said Billinkoff.

“I think there’s more men than ever that are stepping up and realizing it’s no big deal and that women have done their job … and now it’s time for them to do theirs.”

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Billinkoff said that while his customers are typically men who already have children and don’t want more, he’s also seen an increase in patients who have chosen to be childless.

“I do see more than you might expect, and I think that’s been more the case as time has gone on,” he said.

“Sometimes I’ll see someone still in their 20s and quite determined to have a vasectomy, and I’ll tell them to come back in 10 years.”

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Although a vasectomy – essentially an operation that interrupts the two passages which carry sperm away from the testicles, eliminating the risk of pregnancy – is reversible, Billinkoff said the odds on a successful reversal lower with time.

Billinkoff said the most frequent questions he gets from men considering the procedure are related to how soon they can resume physical activity afterwards, as well as how to deal with the pain.

“A bag of frozen peas, absolutely, that’s the best thing … and then you have your friends over for dinner on the weekend and you serve them peas.”

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