World Vasectomy Day.

WORLD VASECTOMY DAY

By Doctor Carol and Kenneth Mutebi

World Vasectomy Day is a vasectomy focused entity and a world “movement” meant to ensure that men have access to the best vasectomy providers but also have access to the information they need to make correct decisions about their family planning choices. Founded in 2013 by Jonathan StacK it has grown to see over 100,529 men receive vasectomy giving them an opportunity to better support their families.

Vasectomy conversations have been focused on encouraging men to share reproductive responsibilities with women such that the contraception burden is not only limited to the women. Decision making in most Ugandan families has relied on the men and their absence has led to grave consequences in times where a quick decision needs to be taken.

For example, expectant mothers go on to have delays in traveling to hospital because they have to wait on a man to avail transport or even decide whether they should go to hospital or not. This is not any different for family planning uptake where men still decide whether their women can use a family planning method or not. It's even worse when an appropriate method is to be chosen if at all they agree to use contraception.

Myths and misconceptions usually derail the choice of contraception yet bodily autonomy as a principle would ensure that women make informed choices about which, what and when they can use a contraceptive. Therefore, promoting vasectomy ensures that men are taking charge of their families’ birth control and are at the forefront.

This saves women from the many side effects of the hormonal or non hormonal methods let alone the saving made to the healthcare system due to the couple years of protection and reduced morbidity that would be caused during removal or insertion of new methods after expiry or even at change of method or when there is desire to have another child. Men share responsibility for decisions around contraception, preventing HIV or STIs and birth control.

Sexual reproductive health rights help boys and men to reduce on unwanted pregnancies, STIs and also on the burden of women managing sexual reproductive health rights. Men also play a fundamental role in also supporting women in sexual reproductive health rights.

We are living in an era focused on women and girls for family planning yet there is also a gap in complementary funding and research to engage Men which not only makes overall family planning objectives more elusive, but puts even greater stress pressure on women to shoulder the burden of contraception on their own. This is greatly unfair as it not only centers the burden on women but leaves communities with repercussions as men have more control over the number of children born.

It is not surprising that one can find one man bearing more than 100 children in a lifetime which undermines the contraceptives initiatives of women in society. Majority of the family planning methods are designed for women and the options for men are limited to condoms, vasectomies and withdrawal method of contraception, although these have not evolved over hundred years this could change as cultural definitions of masculinity are evolving. World vasectomy day is proof that when provided with thorough information Men will, in fact, participate in family planning including opting for vasectomy.

It is with this thought that?RAHU?has implemented the Men Plus project since 2019?whose aim is to bridge the gender divide on contraception, with equal focus on male uptake of contraception. The project aims at sensitizing men on the value of family planning, and how they can directly participate as first line actors through taking up the Vasectomy services as well as supporting their partners who desire or were taking up contraceptive choices. The project provided 345 vasectomies, in a 9 months period in 10 districts across the country.?RAHU envisions a world where men can own their SRHR and contribute to positive change in our communities by actively participating but also supporting SRHR of young people.