I did it.

I actually did it.

I know.

I know.

A lot of you guys will probably raise an eyebrow.

Some of you might wince just reading the title. The word “vasectomy” alone seems to make men shift uncomfortably in their seats. I’ve seen it happen in real life.

You say the word at a gathering and suddenly everyone becomes very interested in their drinks.

But here I am.

I got snipped.

And honestly… I have zero regrets about it.

In fact I kind of wish I had done it sooner.

But then again, everything happens for a reason right?

And maybe the timing had to be just right for both me and my wife before we got to that point.

I know nothing about vasectomies before this, by the way.

Zero.

I read books, went through medical websites, watched countless videos, read care guides, and spent more time than I expected going down that rabbit hole before I finally went and had it done.

So this is also kind of a guide for other guys who are where I was a few months ago… curious, a little scared, and not knowing where to start.

Why I Decided to Get a Vasectomy

My wife and I talked about this for a while.

A long while, actually.

We have our kid, Lyle, and we’re happy with that.

We’re not getting any younger (hello, 47!) and the idea of going through another pregnancy… well.

We both agreed that our family was complete.

The conversation then shifted to: ok so what do we do about it?

We looked at the options. And the more we talked, the more it became clear that the burden of long-term contraception almost always falls on the woman.

• The pills.
• The IUDs.
• The injections.
• Or the biggie: tubal ligation.

Tubal ligation is a surgical procedure.

It requires general anesthesia most of the time.

It’s more invasive, it has more risks, and the recovery is significantly longer.

My wife has already been through so much… pregnancy, childbirth, all of it.

I love her so much that I genuinely did not want her to have to go through the trauma of another surgical procedure just so we wouldn’t have any more kids.

That didn’t sit right with me.

So I said… why not me?

A vasectomy is far less invasive than ligation.

It’s done under local anesthesia.

It takes about 10 to 15 minutes.

Recovery is a few days at most.

If one of us had to go through a procedure, it made more sense for it to be me. It was only fair.

And that’s how I ended up at the Teenage Center in Davao City where vasectomies were performed, waiting for my name to be called.

So What Exactly is a Vasectomy? (Because I Had to Learn This Too)

I had to do a lot of reading on this before the procedure because I really didn’t know the details. I read through numerous websites and articles on understanding vasectomies, and here’s what I learned.

A vasectomy is a minor surgical procedure that acts as a permanent form of birth control for men.

During the procedure, the vas deferens (the tubes that carry sperm from the testicles to the urethra) are cut, tied, or sealed. Once that’s done, sperm can no longer mix with semen during ejaculation.

No sperm in the semen means no pregnancy.

And here’s the part that surprised me when I first read about it… a vasectomy doesn’t affect your hormone levels.

It doesn’t change your sex drive.

It doesn’t affect the volume of your semen.

According to medical experts, you’d literally need a microscope to see any difference in your semen after the procedure.

Your body still produces sperm, it just gets absorbed harmlessly by the body instead.

Vasectomy is nearly 100% effective in preventing pregnancy. That’s compared to condoms which have a 15 to 20 percent failure rate per year.

The difference is pretty significant.

And with high quality condoms being so expensive… well… it just makes sense if you’re looking at saving a good sum of money.

The No-Scalpel Vasectomy (NSV) Method

The specific type of vasectomy I got was the No-Scalpel Vasectomy or NSV.

This is the modern version, and it’s honestly the reason I wasn’t terrified walking in. The NSV was originally developed in China in 1974 by Dr. Li Shunqiang and was brought to the United States in 1985.

It has since become the gold standard for vasectomy procedures worldwide.

Instead of making an incision with a scalpel, the doctor uses two specialized instruments: a ringed clamp to isolate the vas deferens, and dissecting forceps to create a tiny puncture hole.

The puncture is then gently stretched to access the vas deferens, pushing blood vessels and nerves aside rather than cutting through them.

No big cut.

No stitches.

Just a small puncture that closes on its own.

The NSV has some really significant advantages over traditional vasectomy methods…

NSV Advantage	Details
Less pain	Minimal discomfort both during and after the procedure
Faster procedure	Can be completed 50% faster than conventional vasectomy
Fewer complications	Only 0.4% complication rate vs 3.1% for conventional vasectomy
Quicker recovery	Most men return to normal activities within 2 to 4 days
No stitches required	The puncture hole contracts naturally and becomes virtually invisible
Less bleeding and infection risk	The minimally invasive approach significantly reduces these risks

My Actual Experience: What Happened on the Table

Ok so this is the part you’ve been waiting for. What was it actually like?

The procedure was done at the Teenage Center near People’s Park in Davao CIty.

And it was free.

The Davao City Health Office provides free No-Scalpel Vasectomy services through regular monthly campaigns. They have served over 1,000 clients since 2008 and is reportedly the only long-standing free NSV provider in the Philippines.

So if you’re in Davao and thinking about this, you can contact them by email citypopulationofficeofdavao@gmail.com.

Before the procedure, I went through a consultation where they explained everything. What would happen, what to expect after, what to watch out for. They were very thorough about it and I appreciated that.

Then it was time.

I lay down, the area was cleaned and sterilized, and then came the local anesthesia.

I’ll be honest with you. There was a slight discomfort when the anesthesia was being injected.

Not pain exactly… more like a quick sting and then a bit of pressure.

But once it kicked in?

I barely felt anything at all.

What surprised me most was how… informative the whole thing was while it was happening.

The doctor was talking me through the process the entire time.

Telling me what he was doing, how it was going, whether things were progressing well. I genuinely felt like I was getting a live commentary of my own vasectomy.

At one point he told me that one side was done successfully and we were moving to the other. That was actually kind of cool.

And then… I got to keep the cut pieces. They put them in a small vial for me. I know that might sound strange to some people but to me it was just… kind of fascinating?

I stored it.

A little souvenir of a very significant decision.

The whole thing was over in about 10 to 15 minutes. I could have gone home and done a Netflix marathon immediately after and been perfectly fine.

Well… almost fine.

The Recovery: What Nobody Tells You

I’ll admit there was some discomfort during the recovery period. Not constant, not unbearable, but uncomfortable.

There were moments where things were so uncomfortable and I just had to manage it.

The doctor gave specific instructions before I left. Here are the main things I had to follow in the days after the procedure…

• Wear tight underwear (briefs, not boxers) for at least the first three days to keep everything supported and prevent shifting around. This advice the doctor gave me made a huge difference. Do not skip this.
• Ice packs on the area for the first 2 to 3 days. I didn’t really do this since there was no swelling. But, if you have to, cover the area with a cloth first and then apply the ice pack on top, not directly on skin.
• Rest for the first 24 hours. No heavy lifting (nothing over 10 pounds), no strenuous activity for at least 48 hours.
• No sexual activity for 10 days after the procedure. Yep. Behave.
• Shower is ok the next day but do not scrub directly. Pat dry gently. No baths for a week. Take care not to remove the bandage.
• Take acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain management, alternating as needed. I was given Mefenamic acid.

There was one specific moment that stands out for me during recovery. There was a time when it became really uncomfortable to sit.

Not just a little uncomfortable… like I genuinely couldn’t find a good position.

I took another painkiller and waited.

It subsided.

But the painkiller made me drowsy enough that I ended up sleeping most of the afternoon.

Which honestly wasn’t the worst thing.

By day three or four, I was already moving around much more comfortably.

By the end of the first week I was essentially back to normal life.

About the SSS Emergency Leave Benefit

Here’s something practical that I think a lot of men in the Philippines don’t know about. You can file for SSS sickness benefit to cover missed work during recovery if the discomfort becomes significant enough that you genuinely can’t report.

This falls under the SSS sickness/emergency leave provisions.

For my part, the discomfort was real enough on certain days that I needed to rest at home. Filing through SSS means you won’t lose income for those missed days. It can only really be done if you’re truly uncomfortable and unable to work, but it’s worth knowing about so you can prepare ahead of time.

Why This Matters: Population Control in the Philippines

This might seem like a strange place to talk about this but I think it’s an important context to have.

The Philippines has one of the highest population growth rates in Southeast Asia. As of recent estimates, we are at around 115 million people and growing. Resources like water, food, housing, healthcare, and education are all being stretched.

Population control isn’t about telling people how many kids to have. It’s about giving people the tools and the freedom to make that choice for themselves. Vasectomy is one of those tools. And in the Philippines, the governement recognizes this.

That’s why the Davao City Health Office provides free vasectomy services.

It’s why the local government unit (LGU) in Davao actually provides some monetary aid to men who go through the procedure. I received some financial assistance from the local government because the procedure is considered a worthwhile investment in population management. That was unexpected and very much appreciated.

Why Male Participation Matters

Here’s the thing about population control in the Philippines that doesn’t get talked about enough.

The burden almost always falls on women. Pills. IUDs. Injections. Ligation. The medical and financial burden of family planning is mostly carried by the female half of every couple.

Vasectomy changes that equation.

In countries with high vasectomy uptake (like Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and Scandinavian nations), about one in three men over 35 have had the procedure. And interestingly, those same countries rank high in gender equity.

When men share contraceptive responsibility equally, everyone benefits.

From a pure medical standpoint, vasectomy is also far safer and simpler than tubal ligation for women.

It requires only local anesthesia. It’s less expensive. Recovery is faster. Complications are significantly rarer. So if the outcome is the same (no more pregnancies), choosing vasectomy over ligation is the medically smarter and more equitable option for a couple.

Pros and Cons: Being Honest About It

Pros	Cons
Over 99% effective, one of the most reliable forms of contraception	Permanent. Reversal is difficult, expensive, and not guaranteed to work
Simple outpatient procedure, done in 10 to 15 minutes	Not immediately effective. Still need contraception for 2 to 3 months after
Local anesthesia only. No need for general anesthesia	Small risk of complications: infection, bleeding, chronic pain (rare)
Minimal recovery time (most men back to normal in 2 to 7 days)	Does not protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
No effect on hormone levels, sex drive, or sexual performance	Requires a minor surgical procedure and recovery period
Far safer and simpler than female sterilization (tubal ligation)	About 1 to 2% of men experience chronic post-procedure pain
Free services available in Davao City through the City Health Office	Very small chance of procedure failure (less than 0.1%)
LGU monetary aid available in Davao City for qualified patients	May cause temporary anxiety, especially for men not used to medical procedures
SSS sickness benefit can cover missed work days during recovery	Requires semen analysis 3 months later to confirm effectiveness

My Recommendation: Only If You’re Really Sure

I want to be very clear about this. I would only recommend getting a vasectomy if you have really, truly, completely decided that you do not want any more children.

Or any children at all.

This is not a procedure to take lightly.

It is meant to be permanent.

Yes, reversal is sometimes possible.

But reversal surgery is harder to do than the original vasectomy, it’s expensive, and there is no guarantee it will work.

So before you go in, make sure you and your partner have talked about this thoroughly. Make sure you’re both on the same page.

Make sure there’s no part of you that’s unsure.

If you’re certain?

Then honestly… it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made.

And I say that as someone who went in nervous, who read all the books and watched all the videos trying to prepare myself, who felt a little bit of everything on that table… and came out the other side feeling like I did the right thing.

For my wife.

For my family.

And for myself.

Here’s a quick summary of what you need to know if you’re considering getting one here in Davao…

What You Need to Know	Details
Where to go in Davao	Designated city health offices
Cost	Free through the Davao City Health Office Population Division
How to contact them	citypopulationofficeofdavao@gmail.com
Schedule	Regular monthly campaigns, often the last Friday of the month
Procedure time	10 to 15 minutes under local anesthesia
Recovery time	Most men return to normal activities within 2 to 7 days
LGU monetary aid	Available in Davao City for qualifying patients
SSS benefit	File sickness benefit for missed work during uncomfortable recovery days
Effectiveness confirmation	Semen analysis required about 3 months after the procedure

Final Thoughts

So yeah. I got snipped.

And I’d do it again.

It was the right call for us.

My wife didn’t have to go through another invasive procedure. I took one for the team, and honestly it wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected it to be.

The discomfort was manageable.

The recovery was short.

And the peace of mind we have now… it’s worth it.

If you’re in Davao and you’re thinking about this, do yourself a favor and at least make the call.

Go for the consultation.

Ask the questions you’re afraid to ask out loud.

Davao has been doing this since 2008. They know what they’re doing and they will walk you through every step.

And if you want to talk about it with someone who’s been there… well. You know where to find me.