Three men, Ron Domingo, Keith Reyes, and Azell Cagampan, underwent a vasectomy in the last eight weeks following the launch of the SODEX Mobile Clinic by DKT Philippines Foundation and TRUST Reproductive Health Choices. The clinic provided free, permanent contraception and was a safe option for their family life. The three men, two Millennials and one Zoomer have been planning to undergo a vasectomy. They all have decided they already have the correct number of children, with Azell having six, Ron having four, and Keith having one.
They all saw how their wives suffered during their pregnancies, even more so during childbirth. Ron explained, “My wife miscarried twice, and this took an emotional toll on both of us. We have four kids already and that’s enough for me and my wife to raise them properly. Also, I do not want further complications for my wife who is already 45 years old.”
Keith’s ordeal is no less harrowing. This working student witnessed how much his young wife, also a student, struggled while pregnant. Their backbreaking experience during those problematic months dealing with their parents, their classes, and work led them to consider vasectomy as the right option and to stop having more babies in the future. “I got a vasectomy for my partner. We’re focused on raising our firstborn, who’s one year and eight months old now,” Keith definitively asserted.
Azell has been researching vasectomy since 2023, and it was only this June, by chance, that the traveling SODEX Mobile Clinic stopped by in Moncada (Tarlac), near his residence. Because Azell and his wife are okay with having six children, they both trooped to the site. After a 30-minute consultation with the healthcare staff, Azell had his procedure, which took only 20 minutes. “Sobrang bilis,” (real fast) he exclaimed. Ron said that he could return to work after two days since he didn’t feel uncomfortable anymore. He swears it is a safe procedure and is better than spending more on other forms of contraceptives.
Contrary to the common misgivings among men, vasectomy does not affect one’s manhood or sexuality. Keith observed that most men do not get a vasectomy for this reason, fearing that their masculinity will be “on the line.”
The SODEX Mobile Clinic offers free non-scalpel vasectomy, which is as effective as conventional vasectomy while also being less invasive and having a shorter recovery time. It is one of the best contraceptive methods due to it being permanent, having a 99.9% success rate, and being more accessible on the body compared to ligation (a procedure for women).
Consultations and briefings are being given to all those who go to the SODEX Mobile Clinic for vasectomy. The counseling includes information about the procedure, what to expect before and after the procedure, and post-procedure care.
The mobile clinic is led by Dr. Luis Garcia, who specializes in voluntary surgical contraception and has 20 years of experience. He said, “We’ve visited seven provinces in Luzon so far, having tended to 34 vasectomy patients. Vasectomy is a very minor procedure; we give anesthesia to dull the pain. Patients can go back to work and regular activities after a day or two. No nerves or blood vessels that affect erection are touched, and testicles are still intact after the procedure. So, to the men out there, macho pa rin kayo (you’re as macho as ever). Remember this: vasectomy is an act of love for your wife and your family. It is responsible family planning.”
All three men swear that vasectomy also helped them become more intimate with their partners. “There is more bonding between us, and it even increased my own sense of sensuality,” Azell revealed.
For Ron, vasectomy will help a family since it will empower parents to better care for their children. Drawing from his own experience growing up, he quipped that in large families, it can happen that parents will forget the names of some of their children and will not have enough resources to care for them.
The SODEX Mobile Clinic will travel around Luzon this year and offer free non-scalpel vasectomy to men, among other services. The clinic will stay in one area for a maximum of two days, from 8 AM to 6 PM.
Last May 8, the mobile clinic started its operations in Binangonan, Rizal, and then made a trip to San Pedro and San Pablo, Laguna. The rest of the mobile clinic’s schedule and itineraries are announced on DKT Philippines Foundation Inc.’s Facebook page (facebook.com/dktphilsfoundation).
