POPCOM promotes non-scalpel vasectomy as an effective male contraceptive

As the world's population reaches more than 8 billion people, calls to control population growth have once again intensified.

According to Mav Gonzales’ report on “24 Oras Weekend”, the Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM) urged Filipino men to be more active in family planning as part of the celebration of International Men's Day.

The Department of Health (DOH) earlier said that the number of Filipino men using condoms as a contraceptive has increased.

However, POPCOM is promoting non-scalpel vasectomy (NSV) as a form of contraceptive as this was said to be 99.8 percent effective and only needs to be done once.

“Ang vasectomy ay isang contraceptive process, procedure para sa mga lalaki. So ang pinaka-katumbas niya sa mga babae ‘yung bilateral tubal ligation. Sa mga lalaki pinuputol ‘yung tinatawag na vas deferens in effect wala na siyang capability na makabuo ng baby,” said Urologist Dr. Andrew Valdez.

According to the DOH’s 2020 Field Health Services Information System (FHSIS), only about 400,000 Filipino men currently use condoms, which is nevertheless more than the 270,000 condom-users in 2016, according to POPCOM.

The commission noted that male sterilization through NSV remains largely unpopular “as there were only about 15,000 who underwent the procedure in 2020, or less than 1% of all family planning users at 8.1 million.”

“This was even lower than in 2016 at about 16,000, out of a universe of 6.1 million users then,” the agency added.

Citing the latest National Demographic and Health Survey, POPCOM said that out of about 40% of modern contraceptive users, there was “just a slight uptake of condoms” from 2017’s 1.7% to 2022’s 2%.

For NSVs, the figure remained at 0.1% in the last five years.

“From a male standpoint, resorting to family planning does not take away anything biologically. Absolutely none of the methods – neither condoms nor NSV– affect virility, libido, and sexual drive,” POPCOM Officer in Charge-Executive Director Lolito Tacardon said in a statement.

“NSV, for instance, is a simple outpatient operation that involves the cutting and sealing of a small tube—the vas deferens—which will impede the flow of semen. It is, not in any way, a form of castration,” he added.

After the surgery, experts recommend a patient consult with their doctor before having sexual intercourse again to make sure there is no sperm left.

Meanwhile, Valdez said patients should consider vasectomy as permanent since the success rate of the reversal procedure was 50-70 percent.

“Kapag mag-dedesisyon kayo na magpa-vasectomy kailangang sariling desisyon niyo ‘yun, na-discuss niyo with all parties involved. Ibig sabihin kung meron kang partner in life, meron kang wife,” he added.

Those who plan to undergo vasectomy can contact POPCOM-National Capital Region through their contact details and Facebook page. — Mel Matthew Doctor/DVM, GMA Integrated News