# Essure vs. Vasectomy
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essure-vs-vasectomy/651604
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [February 28, 2013, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essure-vs-vasectomy/651604 "2013-02-28T05:32:42Z")
**Posts on this page:** 17
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2013, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essure-vs-vasectomy/651604/21 "2013-03-01T10:50:20Z")
> [@Essured](#):
>
> I have had Essure. My doctor had done over 300 of them, but I was the first nulliparous female he’d performed it on. It was painful, very unexpectedly painful. I basically climbed a wall, trying to get away from the doctor. I apparently didn’t make a sound, just reacted forcefully. They quickly sedated me, so I don’t remember anything else (I was a bit bummed, as I had wanted to watch them placing it on the screen). Afterwards, my doctor told me he would only perform the procedure on nulliparous women under sedation after that - the reaction of my cervix (and me) convinced him that it wouldn’t be worth trying it unsedated. I’m no cry baby either, I’ve had several surgeries before, and I have a reasonably high threshold for pain tolerance - at least of the sharp pain type.
>
> The hysterosalpingogram wasn’t painful at all. It was uncomfortable, but not painful and was over with pretty quickly.
> I agree that a vasectomy is easier than a tubal ligation, but I don’t agree that it’s easier than Essure. If you’ve got any questions, feel free to ask as I’m happy to answer, but at the end of the day only you two can weigh up the pros and cons and decide what to do 🙂
>
> Oh, and I also had a scratch test done prior to getting Essure, to check I had no intolerances to nickel (it was made from a nickel/titanium blend when I got it done) before I got it inserted.
This has to be the oddest user name/post combos in the history of the internet. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2013, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essure-vs-vasectomy/651604/22 "2013-03-01T11:01:58Z")
I had a friend that had a vasectomy. Apart from a complication that was easily rectified, he said it was no problem.
Had they allowed childless single males to have the procedure in my country, I would have had it 40 years ago without a second thought.
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### Author:  [@nashiitashii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nashiitashii)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2013, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essure-vs-vasectomy/651604/23 "2013-03-01T12:04:00Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#):
>
> Pardon me for asking, but is (for lack of a better term for it off the top of my head) female sterilization readily available for women who have not already had children?
It can be really difficult to find a doctor who is sympathetic, as it’s often assumed (especially by women IME) that a nulliparous woman will change their mind. I’ve had a variety of doctor reactions to “I don’t ever want to have kids; please give me something stronger than birth control pills” that ranged from “No, you can’t have an IUD; women who haven’t had babies can’t handle it” to “Are you sure? If so, we can set up an appointment for a variety of procedures. Here are some pamphlets!”
> [@Q.N.Jones](#):
>
> This is my concern. I think it’s a lot easier for them to cut a couple little holes in the scrotum and snip the vas deferens than it is to cram a camera and a couple of springs up through my cervix. I know people who have had a vasectomy; they all describe it as no fun, but not a big deal. Most of the women I have heard from about Essure or IUD placement have described it as pretty awful or impossible.
I’ve had both an IUD (Paragard) and the Essure procedure, which happened at the beginning of January. Both were somewhat painful procedures, but not so bad that I wasn’t back to normal within a day or two. Both cause cramps-- if you’re at all sensitive, you will want to get yourself some Aleve or whatever over-the-counter painkiller makes you feel better.
The IUD was pretty easy; wait until you’re menstruating, numb up your cervix, dilate it enough to get it in, and in it goes! Wait 20-40 minutes while lying down to make sure that you don’t faint (no, seriously!), then you can go home. It’s one week until anything is allowed inside of the vagina for that procedure, and when I had mine, I drove to the appointment and back by myself with no problems. Cramps were a little stronger than usual while I had it, but I also have some really intense periods at times.
The Essure procedure was a bit longer. Pills to dilate your cervix the night before, and shots to numb you up while the procedure is going on. The procedure requires room temperature saline solution to be pumped into your uterus while the camera is inside, so the mandatory “Wait 40 minutes before you can sit up” part included a blanket for me, as I was really chilly for a couple of hours afterward. It’s a little painful, but it’s not so bad that it’s not worth it. I had the option of getting a Depo spot before leaving the office so that I didn’t have to worry about birth control while I was healing/scarring up, which was nice. My doctor gave me antibiotics for the first week as a “prevent infection” measure, and the side effects from high-strength antibiotics was the worst part for me. If you haven’t made a decision by mid-April, I’ll come back and update my experience with the confirmation test.
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### Author:  [@DeweyDecibel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeweyDecibel)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2013, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essure-vs-vasectomy/651604/24 "2013-03-01T13:17:47Z")
We decided on vasectomy. Part of the decision process was that we already have two children, so I’d had enough medical procedures and pain in the name of reproduction. It was now his turn. But, in our case insurance fully covered the vasectomy, and would cover essure, but not necessarily the follow-up procedure. I couldn’t get a straight answer and didn’t want to risk a huge bill. Plus, the risk of general anesthesia are pretty scary to me.
The vasectomy experience was good, no problems with it. My husband had it on a Friday, rested most of the weekend just in case, and was back to normal on Monday. There was swelling, but he didn’t need the strong pain meds prescribed, just tylenol and ice packs.
I had an IUD before this, and found the insertion pretty near painless. I mean, the insertion hurt a bit, but more like bad cramps, not “pain”. I know it is different for women who haven’t had children, but I would highly recommend it to anyone who isn’t quite sure about sterilization, either because of the procedures themselves or because they aren’t 100% sure they don’t want kids.
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### Author:  [@Q.N.Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.N.Jones)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2013, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essure-vs-vasectomy/651604/25 "2013-03-01T15:28:28Z")
> [@nashiitashii](#):
>
> It can be really difficult to find a doctor who is sympathetic, as it’s often assumed (especially by women IME) that a nulliparous woman will change their mind. I’ve had a variety of doctor reactions to “I don’t ever want to have kids; please give me something stronger than birth control pills” that ranged from “No, you can’t have an IUD; women who haven’t had babies can’t handle it” to “Are you sure? If so, we can set up an appointment for a variety of procedures. Here are some pamphlets!”
That’s interesting to me because I’ve lived in Iowa for a long time–not exactly a bastion of feminist and progressive thought (although we do have SSM)–and have seen a lot of different doctors because my insurance kept changing. And not one has ever said anything except “OK, let’s talk about that,” when I mentioned my interest in Essure or an IUD. The only reason I’ve waited is because my former insurance was crap.
> [@](#):
>
> I’ve had both an IUD (Paragard) and the Essure procedure, which happened at the beginning of January. Both were somewhat painful procedures, but not so bad that I wasn’t back to normal within a day or two. Both cause cramps-- if you’re at all sensitive, you will want to get yourself some Aleve or whatever over-the-counter painkiller makes you feel better.
>
> The Essure procedure was a bit longer. Pills to dilate your cervix the night before, and shots to numb you up while the procedure is going on. The procedure requires room temperature saline solution to be pumped into your uterus while the camera is inside, so the mandatory “Wait 40 minutes before you can sit up” part included a blanket for me, as I was really chilly for a couple of hours afterward. It’s a little painful, but it’s not so bad that it’s not worth it. I had the option of getting a Depo spot before leaving the office so that I didn’t have to worry about birth control while I was healing/scarring up, which was nice. My doctor gave me antibiotics for the first week as a “prevent infection” measure, and the side effects from high-strength antibiotics was the worst part for me. If you haven’t made a decision by mid-April, I’ll come back and update my experience with the confirmation test.
OK, this is somewhat relieving. Thank you. It looks like I’m going to schedule my procedure for mid-March.
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### Author:  [@Sam\_I\_Am](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_I_Am)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2013, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essure-vs-vasectomy/651604/26 "2013-03-02T02:30:37Z")
We opted for a vasectomy. I have a myriad of pelvic problems, so we didn’t really consider essure or another surgery for me, at all.
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### Author:  [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2013, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essure-vs-vasectomy/651604/27 "2013-03-02T02:42:15Z")
> [@snowthx](#):
>
> I tell all my buddies that when they are done having kids, they need to man-up and get snipped (vasectomy). The sterilization procedure is far less invasive to the male than anything that would be done to the female. Getting snipped is easy and permanent (notwithstanding the stats upthread). I have to laff at guys who are afraid - it is not castration, and far less dizzying than the prospect of fathering a child unexpectedly.
>
> Vasectomy involved shaving the surgical site (at home) Thursday night, surgeon appt Friday morning - local anasthetic at the surgeon, 15 min under the knife included a couple of tugs, some snipping, coterization, and stiches. Drive self home. Weekend at home laying around with a bag of frozen peas, back at work on Monday (desk job, not strenuous).
>
> I forget the schedule, but needed to leave a couple of “samples” for the good doctor to check to ensure I was sterile before having unprotected sex. They also recommended a few sessions of “cleaning the pipes” during this time. I think I was given the all clear after a couple weeks.
100% agree. It’s a cake walk for men.
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### Author:  [@nashiitashii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nashiitashii)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2013, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essure-vs-vasectomy/651604/28 "2013-03-03T01:23:52Z")
> [@Q.N.Jones](#):
>
> That’s interesting to me because I’ve lived in Iowa for a long time–not exactly a bastion of feminist and progressive thought (although we do have SSM)–and have seen a lot of different doctors because my insurance kept changing. And not one has ever said anything except “OK, let’s talk about that,” when I mentioned my interest in Essure or an IUD. The only reason I’ve waited is because my former insurance was crap.
I live in Florida, and attitudes vary from area to area. The doctors who were _really_ opposed to giving me anything more invasive/long lasting than birth control (even Implanon or Depo shots were off the list for one doctor!) also made sure to advertise their religion all over their waiting room and treat me like I was stupid during the entire check-up.
Best of luck, and it’s really worth it. The first few days will be a little weird, but it gets better pretty rapidly.
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### Author:  [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2013, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essure-vs-vasectomy/651604/29 "2013-03-03T02:53:16Z")
> [@Leaffan](#):
>
> 100% agree. It’s a cake walk for men.
Nothing that involves taking a knife to the balls is a cake walk my friend. 🙂
(I acutally get what you’re trying to say, I just had to throw that out there.)
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### Author:  [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2013, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essure-vs-vasectomy/651604/30 "2013-03-03T11:11:37Z")
Had a vasectomy this past Friday. The worst parts were:
1. Antibiotic injection. (yeeow!, hard to sit for a few minutes)
2. Removal of grounding pad from my thigh (I think the hairs are still there)
3. Local anesthetic injection (comparable to getting a hair or two pulled from your head)
Recovery is all good, just relax with an ice pack in your pants, how bad is that? It’s hard to imagine a significant medical procedure that is easier on the patient.
I do hope the injectable, reversible vasectomy is as good as advertised, and becomes mainstream here. I’d like my son to have contraceptive options besides unreliable condoms and permanent snippage.
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### Author:  [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2013, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essure-vs-vasectomy/651604/31 "2013-03-03T14:11:18Z")
I chose Essure, because my husband is highly resistant to novocaine. He was still willing to get snipped, and if it had been a decision between vasectomy and ligation (with full anesthesia, abdominal incisions, etc.) I would have taken him up on it, but since Essure is relatively easy, I went for it.
That said, it did pretty well suck. One of my tubes spasmed during insertion, and even with Valium and heavy duty injected pain reliever (Toradol?) the pain was breathtaking. At least it was short-lived though. I also wound up needing two HSGs, since I wasn’t fully blocked the first time, and I found those to be intensely uncomfortable, not to mention a pain in the ass. (You have to schedule it relative to your period.)
Once I was confirmed sterile though, it’s been great. No lasting side effects, I’m my normal self, only I can’t get pregnant - wheeee! I know vasectomy carries a low risk of pain during sex, so I’m also glad we avoided that possibility, however slight, because that would suck bigtime.
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### Author:  [@Q.N.Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.N.Jones)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2013, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essure-vs-vasectomy/651604/32 "2013-03-03T17:17:29Z")
> [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](#):
>
> I chose Essure, because my husband is highly resistant to novocaine. He was still willing to get snipped, and if it had been a decision between vasectomy and ligation (with full anesthesia, abdominal incisions, etc.) I would have taken him up on it, but since Essure is relatively easy, I went for it.
After a chat with my better half, we took vasectomy off the table.
> [@](#):
>
> I also wound up needing two HSGs, since I wasn’t fully blocked the first time, and I found those to be intensely uncomfortable, not to mention a pain in the ass. (You have to schedule it relative to your period.)
This is something I have been thinking about since doing some research. Around 95% are blocked at 3 months, but almost everyone is blocked at 6 months, after a successful placement. So I am going to ask about delaying the HSG to 6 months or so to give me a greater chance of only having to do it once. After all, the only downside to that is that I would have to keep using birth control a few months longer.
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### Author:  [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2013, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essure-vs-vasectomy/651604/33 "2013-03-04T22:11:21Z")
Has anyone who’s had the Essure procedure noticed a difference in her periods? Are they any heavier/lighter or more/less cramp-y?
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### Author:  [@Essured](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Essured)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2013, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essure-vs-vasectomy/651604/34 "2013-03-05T02:32:13Z")
No changes here.
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### Author:  [@Kepler1571](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kepler1571)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2013, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essure-vs-vasectomy/651604/35 "2013-03-05T02:58:50Z")
Vasectomies rule. There is nothing to compare to the joy of not facing a loaded gun.
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### Author:  [@DataX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataX)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2013, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essure-vs-vasectomy/651604/36 "2013-03-05T03:21:06Z")
My thoughts on Vasectomies:
1. seems like a lot of guys (not necessarily pointing fingers here - just in general) have reasons to not get this done which to me equal “I’m a pussy”. Seems like making your woman go through getting her tubes tied is just being a wuss.
2. it wasn’t exactly a cake walk for me. I had the option of being out under, but then couldn’t drive home - so I chose the drive home option. I didn’t feel the incision at all - what I did feel - was what felt like dental floss being tied around my testicles - tight. It was pretty painful - more painful than I had been led to believe - but went away once the doc put the cord back in. In fairness - he seemed - as did the nurses - surprised I was in that much pain - so maybe I have over sensitive testicles or something.
3. recovery was pretty quick - everything seemed back to normal in a couple days - scars we’re much smaller than I expected and I think non existent after a few months.
4. and I thought I might have second thoughts or something on the table - or some type of emotional reaction (no kids here), but no - nothing - and no regrets.
5. and finally having control over contraception - without condoms feels great.
It’s like LASIK, but for the penis…
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### Author:  [@Nerdessence](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nerdessence)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2013, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essure-vs-vasectomy/651604/37 "2013-03-07T00:04:52Z")
My husband had a vasectomy when he was 24 (it was difficult to find a doctor who would consent to it at his age, but we did!), and his recovery was fairly undramatic.
He said it “felt weird” during the procedure and then he was in pain a few days. He had to flush the remaining sperm from his system by frequently masturbating, and then it was over and he’s had no discomfort since.
It was also really cheap. Less than $1,000.
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