The Pill versus Freeze, Snip and Thaw
By Guy Shepherd
PlannedMan

The pill is great, but a vasectomy is better. And cheaper. And more reliable.

The Pill versus Freeze, Snip and Thaw

Highlights


No matter how you compare the pill and the snip...

...snip wins: cheaper, safer, easier.

The Pill is has been a gift to both sexes.  In fact men have been free-riding on it for years—and on the real physical sacrifices of our women who take it for our mutual benefit. While there is no male pill on the horizon, there is a course of shared responsibility, where men principally shoulder the burden at a cheaper price point and with better results.

The Pill:

While the cost of birth control pills is around $20 to $50 per individual pack, monthly purchases added up to a yearly sum of anywhere from $240 to $600.  Thirty years on the pill: $7200 to $18,000

Side effects: 

      • Headaches
      • Nausea
      • Breast Tenderness
      • Changes in Period
      • Cramps
      • Acne
      • Mood Changes
      • Weight Changes
      • Skin Allergies
      • Blood Clots
      • Blood Pressure

Failure Rate:  3%.

The Freeze, Snip and Thaw:

The cost for the procedure PM recommends breaks down like this:

Vasectomy  $590
    3 Samples (3 to more potential pregnancies and 30 years in the freezer).     $2,900
     Artificial Insemination (AI)     $2,000
Total      $ 5,490

Thirty years on the pill: $7200 to $18,000. Thirty years in the freezer: $2900

Side effects: No long-term side effects for the patent.

Minimal pain of procedure.  3.5 out of 10 on a pain scale.

      • Bleeding (very rare)
      • Infection rate: 1 in 4000
      • Sperm granuloma is a pea-sized (sometimes tender) lump on the vas tube at the vasectomy site, almost never requiring treatment.  Some consider sperm granulomas beneficial, as they may increase the likelihood of success in the event of vasectomy reversal.
      • Congestion, tender buildup of sperm and white blood cells upstream from or at the vasectomy site can occur anytime after a vasectomy, but usually goes away with use of an anti-inflammatory drug such as aspirin or ibuprofen. About one in 2000 patients will experience chronic post-vasectomy discomfort.
      • Recanalization is the development of a channel for sperm flow between the two cut ends of the vas.  Dr. Doug Stein is one of the country’s leading urological surgeons. In his practice, the early failure rate is about one in 2500 and the late failure rate is one in 3500 (details here).
      • There are no proven long-term health risks (neither cancer nor cardiovascular disease) associated with vasectomy, but since questions have been raised, they are addressed in Dr. Stein’s page of Frequently Asked Questions.

Failure rate is one in 2000 or  0.050%  The pill is 3%.

Freezer burn is not an issue.  The oldest cyro-birth is over forty years.

Summary:  It’s cheaper than the pill, near failure-proof  and it has no side effects.

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