Vasectomy is not a new concept, but it has been a subject of great discussion, myths and even research.
In Kenya, doctors are on the look out for 100 men to undergo the procedure as a family planning method and as a way to dispell the myths around it.
The World Vasectomy Day (WVD) program is at the Family Health Options Kenya, under a campaign called 100 Kenyan men to rise up for their families, their wives and our future.
The vasectomies will be carried out by doctors led by No Scalpel Vasectomy International’s Dr Doug Stein and Dr John Curington.
According to Dr Charles Ochieng’, who works at Family Health Options Kenya, some of the myths surrounding vasectomy include that the man will become lazy.
“Some think that after a vasectomy, a man grows big and becomes hypersomnolent- sleepy and lazy,” he said to the Business Daily.
However, he adds that research has made the process easier and shorter- it only takes 15 minutes.
“Instead of needles, we spray local anaesthesia. We access the vas deferens using special equipment called the ring clamp which grabs the vas deferens. We put a puncture through the skin and then see the vas deferens,” he said.
The process, which usually costs between $100-$150 in Kenya- will be free during the campaign.
Quite a number of men have undergone the process, something considered brave in a culture where family planning is considered a woman’s issue.