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Vasectomies are the talk of the town following Drew Arellano's recent procedure.
A vasectomy is a form of male birth control where the vas deferens, or the pathway of the sperm from the scrotum, is removed. It prevents men from impregnating a woman during intercourse.
The procedure is done in two ways: conventional vasectomy, where a small cut is made in the scrotum to cut the vas deferens; and the No-Scalpel Vasectomy, where an instrument is used to create a small hole in the skin and removes the vas deferens and closes the tube to disallowing semen from pass through.
Drew and Iya
Many praised Drew for his openness because his initiative started a conversation.
In the recent "Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho" episode, Drew and his wife Iya Villania shared that they decided on family planning right after having their fourth child, Astro Phoenix. One of their birth control options was for Drew to get a vasectomy.
The host said he researched and asked doctors about it.
"Wala naman akong takot sa procedure, sa totoo lang," he said on "Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho."
["Actually, I'm not afraid of the procedure at all."]
"How I work is I weigh things out. You see the gravity ng panganganak ng asawa ko. And you relate that to the vasectomy na sobrang maliit lang na bagay compared to that. So it was easier for me to have that mindset," he added.
["How I work is I weigh things out. You look at the gravity of my wife giving birth, and then you compare that to a vasectomy— it's such a small thing in comparison. So it was easier for me to have that mindset."]
The couple wasn't able to set a date, until they had a fifth child, Anya Love. When Iya gave birth last February, Drew made his decision. The date was set: April 28.
"I was conscious I think the first couple of minutes and then I fell asleep. I was conscious again before they actually finished the procedure," Drew recalled. "You just feel a bit of pressure but not much pain."
"Every day I feel better but definitely I'm not yet even 90%," he added. "I still have a little bit of pain on my right lower abdomen. But yeah, pretty much 'yun lang 'yung limitation ko."
After the procedure, Drew has "no regrets."
"Para sa amin, happy na kami sa lima," he said.
["We're already happy with five children."]
He added that what they do as a family is what they feel is right for them.
"And hopefully, tama rin 'yung mga choices namin," Drew said. "Looks like nadagdagan ng awareness. Bonus na lang siguro na nagkaroon ng hopefully positive effect sa aking vasectomy procedure."
["Hopefully, we made the right choices," Drew said. "It seems like awareness has grown—and if my vasectomy story helped spark that in a positive way, then that's a bonus."]
Emman and Marifel
A vasectomy is just one of the many ways of family planning, but women take part in family planning more than men, through tubal ligation or "nagpapatali." This is the process where the woman's fallopian tubes—or the tubes that bring the eggs from the ovaries to the uterus—are cut or blocked so that the eggs would not meet the semen and prevent pregnancy.
Emman and Marigel have three children. Since this is their ideal number of children, Marifel decided to have a ligation. However, she was underweight and needed to be confined in a hospital before pushing through with the procedure.
Their doctor suggested a vasectomy, but Emman had second thoughts. Marifel decided to push through with the ligation and tried to reach the target weight.
On the day of her operation, Emman made his decision to undergo a vasectomy. He saw the process of ligation for other women and was afraid for his wife.
Emman said he saw Marifel's sacrifices when she was pregnant, so it was time for him to make a sacrifice for their family.
After the procedure, Emman said they made the right decision for family planning.
Joe and Krizzia
The lack of family planning is often the problem for couples who are less privileged, something that Joe experienced, being one of eight children in his family.
Joe and his family would pick trash and beg for money on the streets. So at an early age, Joe worked hard to change his life.
"Kailangan kong pagsabayin lahat. Sa umaga, nasa school ako. Sa tanghali nasa OJT (On-the-Job Training). Pagdating naman nang gabi, call center agent ako. Ginamit ko 'yung inspirasyon na 'yun para mag-aral nang mabuti," Joe said.
["I had to juggle everything. In the morning, I'm at school. By noon, I was doing my OJT. And come evening, I worked as a call center agent. That experience inspired me to study even harder."]
He slowly raised his family out of poverty. Eventually he met Krizzia, his wife, and they now have two kids.
"Dapat 'yung pamilya ko, 'yung kaya ko lang buhayin. Pinapangako ko sa sarili ko na ma-po-provide ko lahat," Joe said.
["My family should only be as big as I can support. I made a promise to myself that I'll always be able to provide everything they need."]
"Way back 2019 is lalaki, and way back 2020 binigay na ng Diyos sa amin 'yung babae. Kaya for us, OK na talaga siya," he added.
["In 2019 we had a boy, and in 2020, God blessed us with a girl. So for us, we really feel complete now."]
This was when Krizzia decided to use contraceptives, such as birth control pills. However, her energy decreased, so Joe decided to have a vasectomy.
To avoid spending too much money, Joe approached an organization that offers free vasectomies.
The operation lasted for less than an hour, and Joe was even able to drive his motorcycle home.
"'Yung fourth to fifth day after ng procedure, 'yung pakiramdam mo is parang nasipa. Nabayagan ka in Tagalog. Pero wala naman siyang kirot. In two weeks, OK na siya," Joe said.
["Around the fourth to fifth day after the procedure, the feeling is like you got kicked—'nabayagan ka,' as we say in Tagalog. But it's not really painful. In two weeks, you're all good."]
"It is happier kung napro-provide mo 'yung needs ng family na binuo mo," he added. "I just really wanted to share to everyone that vasectomy is existing. Vasectomy is free."
["There's a deeper kind of happiness in being able to provide for the family you've built."]
For those interested in undergoing the free procedure, you may reach out to DKT Philippines Foundation, Inc.
EMAIL: INFO@DKTPHILSFOUNDATION.ORG
FACEBOOK: DKTPHILSFOUNDATION
CONTACT NUMBER: 0933-653-7588
—JCB, GMA Integrated News
