At 43, with three children, Ddungu chose vasectomy

In this day and age where people are doing all it takes to make ends meet, you would think that the drive to have a small manageable family would be something both men and women take on.
However, as in years past, the talk about family planning is still a one sided story with contraceptive pills, injectables, implants, intra-uterine devices (coils) and tubal litigation mainly geared towards women.
Whereas male condoms and vasectomy are available, most men are not yet receptive to the latter.
That said, there are some champions that have walked the talk of siring only children they can ably take care of.
At 43 years, Dr Peter Ddungu had had enough of the moments which required the use of emergency pills.
Besides that, he wanted to give his three children the best in life and that could not be achieved if he continued having more children.
He, therefore, decided to undergo a permanent birth control procedure -vasectomy at only Shs30,000 (in June 2010).
“My wife is a younger than me and at that stage, I did not want to expose her to hormonal contraceptives,” Dr Ddungu says explaining that hormonal birth control methods such as pills, and implants, among others regulate the change in hormone levels during a woman’s cycle to avert pregnancy by either preventing the release of eggs from the ovaries or causing the thickening of cervical mucus.

After years of using condoms as a family planning method, which effectively helped to space their children, aged 20, 17 and 14, the public health professional thought of having a permanent method since they had already achieved their desired family size. To the Ddungus, it is about choice and quality of life and not the number of children. They also do not care about public opinion.
It is with such confidence that the father of three thought it prudent to directly get involved in controlling the size of the family. Unlike most men, he did not want to leave it to his wife.
Sometimes, he says, “we would have situations where we would not use condoms consistently. My wife would have to take emergency contraceptives the next day because we were not ready to have more children.”
Having had the opportunity to be trained in the provision of voluntary surgical contraception as a young medical officer while at Kagando hospital in the early 1990s; he had carried out surgical contraception on both men and women throughout his medical career and was therefore comfortable with the decision to go for a vasectomy. Besides, being in the profession, all the myths and other contraceptives were not in any way a threat when he decided to make a life commitment.

The procedure
“All I asked myself was who does it well,” Dr Ddungu reminisces recalling part of his working life in South Africa when he’d become aware of the quality of work the Marie Stopes clinics do in the family planning space. So it was a matter of booking an appointment at a Marie Stopes Clinic. The procedure was done on a Saturday morning.
Interestingly, he was to later join Marie Stopes Uganda as an employee in 2015.
Before the vasectomy was done, he was taken through counselling, a basic examination and was done and his written consent acquired.
He was then led to the procedure room where the health worker put him at ease, cleaned the area and injected him with a local anaesthetic to numb the area. The health worker kept chatting with him throughout the procedure and within 15-20 minutes, Dr Ddungu was told the procedure was complete (both tubes had been cut and tied).
He was given instructions on how to look after the wound and to continue using condoms for the next three months after which a semen analysis would be done to confirm that the vasectomy was effective. At the moment, Dr Ddungu enjoys the freedom of sexual intimacy with no limitations and without having to worry about unplanned pregnancy. His wife was very supportive and they came together for the procedure. They both put their faith in God that this was the right thing to do.
“My wife was happy and relieved because sometimes, she would get allergic reactions to condoms. She also did not have to take emergency contraceptives anymore,” Dr Ddungu adds.

Myths
While Dr Ddungu was priviledged to have been in the medical field hence had no fears about what the procedure entails or brings, many men shy away from vasectomy because of myths around it.
Joseph Sekabira, a father, is reluctant to go for the procedure because he has heard from fellow men that he would not be able to enjoy sex anymore. “My peers say it will nterfere with my sexual performance something I cannot imagine living with. Won’t my wife divorce me?” he wonders.
On the other hand, Mark Mutawe believes that vasectomy is as good as castration. “I heard that the entire testes and penile shaft are removed. That is a shame. In as much as I do not want to give birth to more children, I do not want my manhood to be taken away. I don’t think this is the thing for me,” he says.
The fear or unwillingness by men to take on vasectomy is also reflected in statistics from Reproductive Health Uganda, Katego clinic which show that only 80 men have gone for the procedure in the last five years.
However, Dr Ddungu reiterates that the procedure is safe and does not in any way make one less of a man. He actually wants to encourage men to be open about their sex life.
“I hope my story helps men to know that they have a choice and can play an active role in ensuring that they have the number of children they can afford to look after,” he states. Adding that vasectomy is a safe and simple method of contraception that should not be feared.

My decision to have a vasectomy at 33 surprised many but I know it’s the right decision for my family of four.
Albert Abaho, Father of 3

For years my wife struggled with contraception, so I decided to share the role of family planning with her. I was told that the procedure was not painful so I decided to go for it.
Alex Atwine, Father of 11

Initially, I was very skeptical about vasectomy. Fortunately, I got the right information and successfully underwent one.
Dan Bwegare, 52 Father of 13

Vasectomy does not cause impotence

One of the common concerns for people considering a vasectomy is impotence, or erectile dysfunction (ED), which is the inability to sustain an erection or ejaculate. However, the risk for impotency from this procedure is extremely rare. Some men even report better sex lives after vasectomy, according to the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.
A vasectomy is a fast, outpatient procedure, meaning you can go home the same day. The doctor may recommend taking two or three days off from work and avoiding heavy lifting and sexual activity for a week.

Compiled from www.healthline.com