Sandhya Raghavan
... Read More
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookie Policy.
Written By: Sandhya Raghavan | Published : November 17, 2017 3:48 PM IST
India has had a chequered history when it comes to family planning. Despite fifty years of innovation and trial-and-error testing of a number of strategies, the impact of India's family planning programmes has never yielded consistent results. As the country bursts at its seams with 1.3 billion people, it seems like most of its efforts to bring about population control are coming to a naught. Today, India still depends on non-invasive methods of contraception like condom and pill use. Male condoms versus female condoms: Which is better? And as far as invasive methods of contraception are concerned, the burden of family planning is borne mostly by the woman, either through tubal ligation, intrauterine devices or pills. Vasectomy as an option is still not explored by men in India, despite it being comparatively safer and more convenient than tubectomy. Here is everything you wanted to know about vasectomy.
Blue shows male sterilisation and red shows female sterilisation rates.
Less than one in ten men opts for vasectomy and the male to female sterilisation gap is alarmingly wide in India. Between 2013 and 2014, four million sterilisations were performed in the country and less than 100,000 of those surgeries were on men. Given such a dismal record, it is clear that there are some social, economic and cultural factors that are hindering male sterilisation in the country. Following are some of the factors.
1 Fear of losing masculinity
In most cases, the fear of permanent infertility is what discourages men from getting a vasectomy. There are also unfounded fears of losing sexual prowess and feeling "less of a man" among the Indian male population. Some men also fear that getting a vasectomy could prompt their wives to seek sexual relations outside marriage. Toxic masculinity prevents many males in the country from opting for the procedure because it is considered akin to conceding to the wives' demands.
2 Negative perception of vasectomy
To this day, the bad publicity created by Indira Gandhi's forced vasectomy drive of 1976 which sterilised 6.2 million Indian men also adds to the public paranoia against the male sterilisation procedure. Two thousand men died of botched operations.
3 Lack of awareness
There is a gross inadequacy of awareness regarding the safety and effectiveness of vasectomy. Since it is an invasive procedure, people tend to believe that there could be post-operative complications and pain. But the truth is that even after considering factors such as recovery period, invasiveness, complications and fatalities of the both the methods -- vasectomy and tubectomy, the former is still a much better method of sterilisation than the latter. It is also more cost-effective than female sterilisation methods. Even the more popular methods of contraception like injectable contraceptives and oral pills are nowhere as effective as vasectomy.
4 Women question vasectomy
Oddly, in some households, women object to their men getting vasectomy, fearing loss of strength and virility in women. The reason could also be economic because these women think that men will not be able to earn a livelihood if they lose their strength after vasectomy. So they volunteer to get sterilised, going against their own self-interest.
5 Women are easier to convince than men
According to a 2012 Human Rights Watch report, the reason why vasectomies have not gained enough traction is because women are easier to come around than men. Health workers found it easier to convince women about family planning than men.
Indian government on its part is doing its best to engage the male population and orient them about the correct facts about vasectomy. The Non Scalpel Vasectomy is one of the government's initiatives in this direction. Mr Vinoj Manning, executive director, Ipas Development Foundation says, "Male involvement in family planning is a priority at the policy level and needs all players to come forward to make this a reality at the ground level. We need champions to lead by example and demonstrate the role of men in supporting their families."
But the fact remains that vasectomy as an option has a lot of potential in helping India achieve the goals outlined in Family Planning 2020. Active efforts should be taken to change the public perception of the procedure and to gain male support towards India's population control methods. World Vasectomy Day serves as a reminder for men to pledge their support to women in family planning decisions.
Image source: Shutterstock
Disclaimer: The content on TheHealthSite.com is only for informational purposes. It is not at all professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a healthcare specialist for any questions regarding your health or a medical condition.