Permanent Birth Control Survey Results

Jay Dee

Permanent Birth Control Survey Results

Mar 05, 2014

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post on non-procreational sex, and still plan to write one on birth control (I did, it’s here), but I had a reader asking about permanent birth control, so, I thought I’d tackle this first with a survey.  He

Permanent Birth Control Survey ResultsA few weeks ago, I wrote a post on non-procreational sex, and still plan to write one on birth control (I did, it’s here), but I had a reader asking about permanent birth control, so, I thought I’d tackle this first with a survey.  He (who shall remain nameless, because I didn’t ask if I could use his name) asked:

We have four kids ‎and decided that was enough.
What do you think of a vasectomy? What do other men say that had it done?
And so as to not alienate the women, I thought I’d ask about tubal ligations as well.
This survey was really two parts.  The first was generic, and the second was based on whether or not you’ve taken permanent birth control measures.  I realize I was a bit unclear on whether or not you have, or your partner has, so I’ve tried to adjust the answers as best I could from the comments.  Luckily many explained their answers and situations.  Again, my wife’s comments in purple throughout.

Generic Questions

Number of respondents: 164

I didn’t really give people a lot of time I’m afraid.  I got the question Monday and it’s my habit to write on Tuesdays and post on Wednesdays, and wanted to tackle this one, so 164 in just over 24 hours…I’m pretty happy with that.

Age Ranges

  • 20-24 – 2%
  • 25-29 – 11%
  • 30-34 – 13%
  • 35-39 – 17%
  • 40-44 – 18%
  • 45-49 – 15%
  • 50-54 – 13%
  • 55-59 – 6%
  • 60-64 – 2%
  • 65-69 – 1%

By the way, those couples in the 60+ range who are still reading blogs about how to improve your sex life.  You’re my heros.  I’m looking forward to a long sexually fulfilling marriage, and you are an indicator that it’s possible.

I love that there are older people on blogs using technology like this to help their marriage! I don’t think my mother has ever read a blog, and my mother in law, not a chance! 

Years Married

  • First Year – 1%
  • 1-4 – 9%
  • 5-9 – 18%
  • 10-14 – 20%
  • 15-19 – 13%
  • 20-24 – 15%
  • 25-29 – 10%
  • 30-34 – 9%
  • 35-39 – 3%
  • 45-49 – 1%

We don’t get a lot of readers who are in the first 5 years of marriage.  I’d suspect it’s due to that 7 year itch, 7 year wall, 7 year whatever you want to call it, that shows up in a lot of statistics about marriage.  It seems that somewhere in the 7-14 year range, couples start having serious issues regarding marriage, and particularly sex.  Or maybe they’ve had issues all along, but 7 years is too much to deal with it.  Or, it could be that that’s generally when kids start really interfering with your sex life, and so people start looking for answers.

Again, amazing that people that have been married more then 25+ yrs are looking to improve their marriage using blogs like this! 

How many times a week do you have sex?

  • Less than once a week – 13%
  • Once a week – 21%
  • Twice a week – 27%
  • Three times a week – 18%
  • Four times a week – 15%
  • Five times a week – 2%
  • Six times a week – 1%
  • Seven times a week – 1%
  • Eight times a week – 1%

Gender

  • Female – 41%
  • Male – 59%

Have you been married before?

  • No – 86%
  • Yes, once – 12%
  • Yes, twice – 2%

I expected the remarriage rate to be much higher…perhaps I’ve alienated some divorcees by stating my views on divorce, and so my readership is a little skewed.

How many children do you have (including step-children)

  • None – 9%
  • One – 7%
  • Two – 31%
  • Three – 28%
  • Four – 14%
  • Five – 5%
  • Six – 4%
  • Seven – 2%
  • Eight – 1%
  • Ten – 1%

Nothing surprising here I don’t think.

Have you had a tubal ligation or vasectomy?

  • No – 50%
  • Yes – 50%

I kid you not! It’s dead even!  So, we should have some decent data then.  I know, someone is going to complain that it’s not 5000 data points, but hey, for our purposes, 82 on each side is pretty decent.

Questions for those who have had taken permanent birth control measures

Do you feel you have more or less sex now than before the procedure?

  • Less – 6%
  • More – 29%
  • Same – 65%

Now, the problem with asking this is that often we can’t trust the answers.  Our brains have a funny mechanism that tends to downplay the past making our present seem better (and by extrapolation, the future seem bright).  Yep, we have a built in hope generator by lying to ourselves about our past.  So, this tends to skew questions like this.  Still, I was curious what people thought.  I did check the answers later against the averages, and it turns out people answered fairly accurately according to the averages.  Those who are having sex less are having sex once a week (less than the average).  Those who answered “same” are about 2.3 times per week (which is average), and those who answered “more” are having sex on average 3.2 times per week.  Quite a significant increase.

It must feel so great to not have that feeling of stress of causing a pregnancy that may not be expected or wanted. I know for myself, I am happy with my family size, I am scared to death of another pregnancy. So I’d consider it unwanted. If it were to happen, it’s not like that child would be unwanted, I love babies and I love my kids, and I would learn to accept what was happening, my point being I can just see that these people that have more sex are stress free, am I right?

Whose idea was it to have this procedure?

  • My idea – 51%
  • My spouses idea – 33%
  • The doctor’s suggestion – 16%

I’m a little surprised the doctor’s influence is so high.  I’m not surprised that in 33% of cases, it’s the spouses idea.  Frankly I thought that would be higher, but I don’t really understand why I expected it.  I mean, I’d never suggest a procedure like that to my wife.  That would need to be her idea.  If I felt that convicted about it, I’d suggest it for myself, not her, and I believe my wife feels the same way. 

I think for a lot of women, they know it is harder on her then it it is for men, so perhaps that is why the spouses idea is higher. I think if we were to take the step to talk about this, I would bring up that something needs to be done, and we would look at the options and the pros and cons and do a lot of research about it. I wouldn’t tell him he has to go get it done, but I don’t think I would be too quick to volunteer myself either.

When did you have the procedure done?

  • During this marriage – 98%
  • Prior to marriage – 2%

This question didn’t pan out so well.  I was expecting a higher divorce rate, and that would have made this question more informative.

Did you have any complications during or because of this procedure?

  • No – 86%
  • Yes – 14%

14%!  That seems high to me…

Questions for those who have not taken permanent birth control measures

Would you consider permanent birth control?

  • No – 26%
  • Not sure – 22%
  • Yes – 52%

What types of birth control do you use?

  • Barrier Methods – 30%
  • Implantable devices – 9%
  • Hormonal Birth Control – 13%
  • Continuous Abstinence – 6%
  • Natural Family Planning – 6%
  • Prayer – 11%

Yep.  Prayer is the #3 most popular method of birth control.  I’m not sure what to say about that really.  On the one hand, you have the “quiverful” people who treat this more as a “hey, God, this is what we want, but your will be done, so we’re not going to get in your way.”, and on the other hand, you have the people who just got caught up, or the condom broke or whatever, and are praying “I’m sorry God, we messed up, please don’t let us be pregnant!”

I am pretty sure I remember saying a prayer like that second one. We messed up tracking my fertile time and didn’t pull out, and we prayed that it wouldn’t result in pregnancy. It didn’t, Thank you Lord. I do admire the “quiverful” people, it is such a big step of faith to put your complete trust in him about your family size, but it’s not just family size, I think the whole “quiverful” thing is much bigger then just that. I really do admire you guys!

Interesting correlations / combinations of data

Well, honey, the doctor said after I heal, we should be having more sex…

OK, I don’t understand this one.  If the idea was your spouses or yours to have a vasectomy or tubal ligation, then your sex life will be pretty average (2.2-2.4 times per week respectively).  However, if the doctor suggested it, for some reason, those couples are having sex 3.2 times per week.  I don’t have an explanation for this one.  Any ideas?

If the doctor suggested it, perhaps there is no resentment on either side for who’s idea it was to have it done. There is no blaming or anything towards the spouse that thought, “Hey hunny, why don’t you go make an appointment and get a little snip snip”. I think some men would feel a little emasculated by that. So when the doctor suggests it, you are free to enjoy sex without the stress of unwanted pregnancy or hostile thoughts in the back of your mind. Perhaps there is more to it, would love to hear from the people who’s doctor’s suggested it why they have more sex now then before?

Permanent birth control & amount of sex

Now, this is the big question, isn’t it?  Well, it is to me.  After all, the reason we see in the media and such for having these types of procedures done (at least when they are being sold to men) is that you don’t have to worry about birth control, so it’s sex all the time isn’t it?  Well, no, not all the time.  But, there does seem to be an increase.

Marriages that have not taken some form of permanent birth control measures seem to have sex about 1.9 times per week, while the marriages who have taken this type of measure have sex 2.5 times per week.  So, we’re talking about a difference of about one more sexual encounter every 2 weeks.  Hardly a sex-fest, but not nothing.

Survey Comments [sic]

What were your reasons for having this procedure done?

  • Medical reasons.
  • Health reasons. My last pregnancy and delivery (of twins) was very rough and my husband didn’t want me to go through it again. Plus we were happy with the size of our family.
  • Birth control and not wanting to use condoms
  • very difficult pregnancies and we had the family we wante
  • We had 3 children and knew we didn’t want more.
  • I have cerebral palsy and the doctor’s said it would be wise to wait for anymore kids. I was allergic to all other birth control, my husband was worried for me so I had the tubal because it was the only thing public aid would pay for….
  • We have 4 kids, are done with having more. Husband doesn’t want to wear a condom, and no one likes me on the pill!
  • Kids cost too much and take too much time.
  • I had our youngest when I was 40 and it was a very high risk and difficult pregnancy. It was more of a mutual decision between myself, my husband and my doctor. I we were younger, we would have not had it done and had 1 or 2 more children Lord willing.
  • We were through having children.
  • We have enough children
  • preferable to diaphragm which was our previous option
  • Difficult births and horrendous haemorrhaging.
  • 4 kids is plenty for us.
  • We were done having Children.
  • Because I like it when doctors take scalpels to my testicles. Duh. Better than my bride taking a tubal and we were done having kids.
  • Wife was on birth control pills approaching menopause and her Dr thought it would be a good idea so that my wife could stop taking the birth control pills.
  • rough pregnancy and didn’t need to get pregnant again
  • To eliminate the possibility of more children without my wife having to take oral contraceptives any longer.
  • My husband and I agreed we were done having children.
  • Doctor said it was a bad idea for my wife to have more children. So I got it done. I did not feel good about it after. And guess what 5 years later my wife got pregnant with number 4. So I don’t think I am in control as far as this is concerned. God is in control I have learned!
  • My husband did not want any more children.
  • Financially we decided we could not have any more children.
  • We were done having children after three due to several reasons.
  • I had 6 c-sections. During my last c-section I almost died because my body could not handle another c-section.
  • not wanting children
  • Our family was complete. Plus 3 very eventful pregnancies meant that I personally was ready for the drama to be over, plus as an older mom, I did not want to have kids after the age of 40. My last delivery occured after I turned 38.
  • would rather have vasectomy than have my wife on hormonal birth control… this is partly because we just prefer not to be on drugs in general and partly for convenience.
  • 4 c-sections and complications during pregnancy and birth. Drs didn’t even want me to have the four I have but I wouldn’t do something so permanent before I was 30. During my 4th pregnancy the Drs convinced me and my husband that we were playing a dangerous game of life and death.
  • Mutual decision- wife was on oral contraceptive and we did not want her to continue after we had our second planned child.
  • We had 4 kids. She did not want to worry about getting pregnant. less invasive that a tubal.
  • My husband (and I supported him) felt like he had reached his max in providing (mentally, financially, emotionally, spiritually) the family (i.e. number of children). And we had no indication from God that he was calling us to have more children.
  • After having our first (and only) child 11 yrs ago, we decide that I should have a vasectomy because the pregnancy was very hard on my wife and we almost lost her and the child. We decided not to risk another pregnancy after that. In the end both she and the child were fine.
  • 4 was enough kids and we didn’t want to have to depend on condoms for the next 15 or so years.
  • three kids was enough 🙂
  • So we wouldn’t have to worry since we were done having kids, plus my wife didn’t want to be on the pill anymore.
  • We knew we were too old to have more kids and with a preemie and 2 c-sections…we were done. I had it during my second c-section but probably would not have had a separate surgery for it.
  • I had a vasectomy because at the time we only wanted 2 children and my wife has medical issues with birth control and neither of liked condoms.
  • Wanted no more children. Barrier free sex.
  • We were pregnant with 2nd child. That’s all we wanted.
  • No more kids wanted
  • I had many complications during my pregnancies and was told by the doctor that if I got pregnant again that it could be life threatening for me and the child.
  • I was always afraid of getting pregnant and we felt that six children was enough children for our family.
  • My wife has tubal ligation after our second child. We were happy with two and she felt it best to do it while she was in the hospital for the birth.
  • It is easier for me to get a vasectomy than to put my wife through surgery, and I also feel it is the mans responsibility to deal with this.
  • The topic came up after it was determined it was too risky for my wife. There was less risk for me, the husband, so I had it done.
  • Much better than condoms. Didn’t want wife ingesting hormonal bc.
  • To permanently prevent pregnancy. Free us from other birth control methods.
  • We have 2 girls (adopted) and felt like our family was complete and we were ready to stop using condoms all the time.
  • Didn’t want to use hormones– birth control pills and wanted reliable birth control
  • Birth control
  • Perm birth control. Don’t want more kids and don’t want to wear condoms.
  • Not to have anymore kids. And not to have to pull out.
  • We wanted to have no more children and she cannot use the pill
  • For birth control, we only wanted to have 1 child together since we had 3 together from our previous marriages.
  • Wife got tubes tied after our third child by c-section (while she was already surgically open). Just seemed like a logical thing to do. Although I do have some guilt due to my Catholic background.
  • Was advanced maternal age with 3rd child (age 36 when he was born), first born with special needs (calcium channelopathy ), had a scheduled C-section and figured might as well have a tubal while they were in there. I have never regretted the decision.
  • A vasectomy is safer and less invasive, so when we decided to get fixed it was the only choice. We knew we were done with kids, and we were tired of the hassle of birth control.
  • No more messing with hormones or with condoms! (no more room for more kids also 😉
  • I had 4 kids
  • To not worry about getting pregnant
  • My wife has extreme sickness during each pregnancy, to the point where she lost over 20 pounds and had to be taken to the ER for dehydration and not being able to eat without throwing up.
  • We just felt we were done having children and I have had 2 c/s and my uterine wall was thin so because of this if I had another pregnancy it would be higher risk.
  • Done with kids
  • When our second was about a year old, after a particularly trying day with both of them, we both looked at each other at the same time and said, “Enough is enough…when the Indians start outnumbering the cheifs…it is un-democratic”…I had the vasectomy, and we have never looked back or regretted that decision. Note: my wife has also had pre-mature hysterectomy due to health reasons.
  • We were on the fence, but more effective meds for my Rheumatoid Arthritis were only avail if one of us was sterilized. My RA was excruciating and so we stopped waffling.
  • Didn’t want any more kids.
  • Hormonal birth control did not agree with my body. It altered my disposition for the worse. I felt generally horrible and had absolutely no desire for sex. In the end, birth control pills gave me continuous migraines. I was on them for a total of 3 years. SO, my husband decided to have a vasectomy to solve all the problems. He is such a wonderful man!
  • We were finished having children, and my wife cannot take the pill, so it was a logical step to take.
  • Delivering our twins (3rd & 4th child) by c-section when I was 36 it was an easy decision to have the tubal at the same time.
  • To get wife off of hormonal birth control pills.
  • Another child would have created a financial burden that would hamper us greatly from meeting our obligations to the children we already had.
  • He refused to have a vasectomy – coward.
  • We had the number of children we believe God wanted us to have.
  • Get wife off hormonal BC
  • We had four children, and my husband didn’t want any more at the time. Also, I am allergic to condoms and do not do well on birth control medication.
  • Didn’t want any more children

It seems the most common answers are either they had enough children and felt their family was complete or for medical reasons.  Although quite a few mentioned getting their wife off hormonal birth control.

I was on the pill for 5 years or so, and wow, I had no idea how badly it affected me. I slipped into a depression and now finally I am finally getting out of it, 4 kids later. I don’t think anyone should be on the pill, and husbands that have wives on it, perhaps you might want to consider how you can get her off so that she can be herself, she may just be much happier person without drugs messing with her.

If you had complications, what sort did you have?

  • early peri menopause type symptoms starting right after the surgery that contiued for 16 years up till actual menopause
  • just had it post poned multiple times , then have had alot of small aches and pains that I have found were from scarring from the procedure and then the hormonally changes they also never tell you about.
  • Pain for a few months. And at this point almost 3 years later I have yet to have “clear” semen sample.
  • Healing took longer than normal.
  • Weight gain and painful irregular menstrual cycle.
  • Not sure if it’s a complication, but it was a very painful procedure. I swelled up a lot and got very black and blue.
  • The doctor did not have his favorite suture thread so I was openned up for about 10 minutes after the c-section birth of my daughter. I do have some nerve damage and some scarring after having 2 c-sections 17 months apart but nothing that affects sex.
  • Not really a complication, but since she has diminished sensation in the genital area and her libido has been just about non-existent.
  • Very, very minor pain a few times over the first couple of years. Nothing since (a decade)
  • minor infection at the incision point, easily treated with antibiotics.
  • extended hospital stay due to something going wrong with the anethesia.

I always wonder, if you had these complications, but now have the freedom to enjoy sex without worry of pregnancy, would you go through it again despite the complications? Was it worth it?

Why would you consider permanent birth control measures?

  • Have considered it – using condoms for now and it is working fine
  • Relieve the worry. Don’t want more kids and it would be great to not have to worry about it. I think I could be more free.
  • Would consider if we knew we did not want any more children. How so many fertility issues to have 1st two that third is unlikely but leaving it in God’s hands.
  • I would do it once I had peace that we were set with the children the Lord had provided. We currently have 3. The benefit would be to remove the possibility of pregnancy to our already full quiver and to get rid of condoms.
  • After our fourth child is born…
  • To keep from having more kids keep us from sleeping at night.
  • Husband attempted to have vasectomy, it did not go well as a out patient procedure. He was going to have to be sedated. So he chose not to do that. Did consider tubal ligation but it was time away from home as that was a inpatient procedure so never had time for it.
  • Eventually. Husband doesn’t like condoms, but we are struggling with how many kids we want.
  • No more condoms
  • I plan on having my uterus removed when I am done having kids for health reasons and as a method of birth control.
  • I had an essure device placed which is a form of sterilization.
  • Many hormone type birth control methods, pill, IUD will stop a fertilized egg from implanting in uterus. That is a baby, so its just an abortion with knowing your pregnant… Ideally I would prefer to just trust in God and if He blesses one with a child, to rejoice. The vasectomy or tubal may be viewed as a sin against my own body, but its just that.. birth control pills can be a sin against an unborn child..
  • we would prefer not to have kids at our age and for health concerns
  • I would rather my husband get a vasectomy, cause I would still want my options open. My husband never wants to have any children.
  • My wife thinks I should get a verse tommy when the time comes, because her dad did. I’m nervous about it but the positives will probably outweigh the negatives. However, we haven’t even started having kids yet so we have plenty of time to discuss it.
  • Not to cause pregnancy.
  • Easy and convenient. I do not want an “accidental” pregnancy that we are not prepared for.
  • I refuse to take chemical forms of birth control…we are done having kids and we both have decided on a vasectomy. I’ve worked in surgery and it’s the better choice between it and tubal ligation.
  • I don’t want to frequently worry about having another baby. I know I don’t want anymore kids so I’d like a permanent solution.
  • We have 4 kids and we are good with 4 we have.
  • When we have had as many kids as we want to have on purpose, we plan to get a vasectomy because we don’t love using condoms and we really hate hormonal birth control.
  • Got pregnant on the shot and condoms
  • There will come a point, soon, when it is unwise for my wife’s health and safety, or the health and safety of a potential baby, for her to get pregnant again. She has already had 2 emergency C-sections, and while we’re open to another child, any future babies will absolutely have to be born by C-section. There is only so much scar tissue that the uterus can handle before it becomes unusable, and based on two very early term miscarriages that she’s had since our last child was born, may already be there.
  • Because I can’t take medication I need to treat deteriorating conditions while there is any chance of falling pregnant. It’s not relevant right now as I probably want more kids, but when we’re finished trying for kids.
  • I have had a c-section with each of my children. My husband and I would like one or two more children but aren’t sure that it would be healthy for me to continue having c-sections after that. A tubal ligation immediately following my last delivery makes sense since I would already be on the operating table. Hormonal birth control methods were not kind to my sex drive early in our marriage (pretty much killed it during the best time to be setting good intimacy patterns in your marriage) and I don’t have a regular enough cycle for natural family planning to work well.
  • I don’t want anymore kids. Only reason we haven’t done it is that my wife isn’t ready to close the door. This is an area on contention for us.

Why wouldn’t you consider permanent birth control measures?

  • You’ll never know when the Lord wants to bless your family with another child. There is a 3 way agreement in a marriage and he should have that right, unless the health or mortality of the mother or father (especially the mother) is at risk.
  • Not necessary. There are plenty of other methods without requiring surgery.
  • My wife and I are not able to procreate. However, we adopted a boy.
  • Perhaps when decidedly done having children, but my wife and I are yet to have our first child!
  • I have done a bit of research and believe both a tubal and vasectomy can have the potential to affect hormones and sex drive. I also would love as many children as God sees fit to bless us with even though my husband does not want more than 4.
  • We don’t want to do anything permanent. When we decide to be done (not sure yet) we will continue to use natural family planning and if we’re meant to have more, then we will, but otherwise we’ve always had success with natural family planning.
  • it’s to permanent… you never know where God will lead you or what your desires will be for the future.
  • I believe Christian couples should be open to God’s gift of children.
  • Post menopausal
  • We felt children were a blessing and wanted a large family.I was talked into an IUD after our first child. It went missing when we wanted more children. Subsequently, it worked for 11 years while we tried to have children. We adopted, then a Dr. found the IUD when taking care of another problem. We went on to have three more children, to adopt again, and to foster 18 other kids.
  • We don’t have insurance and we try to avoid doctor visits.
  • It’s a permanent desecration of our bodies. It’s like disfiguring your face or removing a limb.
  • -we don’t believe in interrupting the body’s natural processes. -avoid negative side effects of both; there are no clear health benefits. – there are clear health benefits to NOT doing either procedures. -we are comfortable doing natural family planning (which is different than rhythm method, so they should be on two different lines on your option below) -in case we want kids afterward
  • because part of having sex is pro creation acorrding to God
  • God made me unique and everything in my body has a purpose. If I go and cut myself up so I can have pleasure without the responsibility of pregnancy is not God’s choice for me, but mine own.
  • After 4 children we prayed and asked God about birth control, because we were ready with making children. God said He is the One who opens the womb and He is the One who closes the womb.
  • He will provide for the children He wants to give us. Are we going to let Him bless us with the children He is in store for us or are we going to go do it our own way.
  • The next 4 years the sex was wonderful, because we didn’t have to worry about getting pregnant any more. We have 6 beautiful children and God takes cares of all of them financially and spiritually.
  • No desire to break what God made.

I was surprised at how many answers mentioned a moral reason in some form or another.

I love seeing people honouring the bodies God gave us by not messing around with their insides when it isn’t medically necessary.

Why are you not sure about permanent birth control measures?

  • Because I’m scared
  • Good is in control and prevention is not up to us.
  • I think there is always going to be an underlying fear of something going wrong that could lead to sexual problems. Whether this fear is valid or not…the very idea of someone messing around in this area will always have a certain cringe factor for men. In my current situation…I am also not 100% sure that our marriage will go the distance…so the thought of giving up the opportunity to have children in the future is also a factor.
  • I am more open to my husband having a vasectomy than me having a tubal ligation. If I have a tubal, then I would ‘know’ that my child bearing years are over. As it stands, I’m not looking forward to menopause for that same reason.
  • We decided a long time ago to let God choose our family size. Now that we have 8 children (we thought we were done with 7, lol), my husband doesn’t want anymore. So he may consider Vasectomy. He already knows, and agrees with me that I will never have a tubal ligation. I know several women who have had them and they all had health problems because of it later down the road.
  • I’m happy to have as many children as God sees fit but my husband is not on the same page. I know that permanent birth control is probably in our future but I’ll leave that for my husband to decide when and how.

My thoughts

So, dear unnamed questioner, here are my thoughts (which are purely my own opinions and biases, please don’t take them as me telling you what to do):

  1. I’ll admit, the idea of a vasectomy causes an irrational fear in me.  If that makes me a coward, as one respondent accused her husband of being, well, so be it.  There is a rational component as well (I believe anyways, it’s that or I’m rationalizing post emotional response).  The risks seem high, and the potential risks sound debilitating (pain during sex, unable to maintain erection, etc.).  Now, I understand these types of complications are rare, but 14% of people in this survey said they had some complication.  That’s not rare. I am scared of the procedure as well. I have spent enough years with messed up hormones from the pill, I don’t want to risk a tubal messing them up again permanently!
  2. It’s permanent.  I’m not a fan of permanent decisions.  I don’t like putting holes in my head, I don’t like the idea of getting tattoos.  Why?  Because it’s permanent.  You can’t change your mind later on, and I know the man I am today is very different than the man I was 10 years ago.  How much more so in the next 10, 20, 30, or, God-willing, 70 years? Some will say it’s not, you can get it reversed. but there is no guarantee that it will work. and it’s expensive!!!
  3. We are considering a copper IUD.  It fits our theology regarding birth control measures (which I still have to write about), it’s not permanent, and it’s not a major operation (I know, they say a vasectomy is not, but if you are cutting and tying something inside the body that might mess with my penis…that seems major to me). We say considering, because it’s still scares me. Putting a foreign object inside my body doesn’t sounds like a walk in the park. I get very anxious thinking about the procedure. Plus I’ve heard a few people in my circles that have gotten pregnant with an IUD, so I don’t know if it would alleviate the stress that sex might still result in a pregnancy.

So, in short, no, I won’t be opting for these measures I don’t think.  But I have no qualms or judgment against those who do.  I have many friends who have had this done, and had no issues or complications (I think one had to have it redone, because the first didn’t take).

Your Turn

So readers, what did you think of the survey results?  Anything surprising in here?  Anything we missed? Let us know in the comments below.  If you didn’t have a chance to fill it out, please do so as I may be using this data for my post on non-permanent birth control measures later on.

If not, do you think you should be coaching others in how to be?

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