What is World Vasectomy Day?

World Vasectomy Day (WVD) was founded by filmmaker Jonathan Stack after he encountered a man struggling to care for his large family. Fate led him to Dr. Stein, a Vasectomist, and together they set out to raise awareness about vasectomy as a crucial family planning option. Their mission was to provide men with more control over family planning while easing the contraceptive burden on women. Today, their efforts have resulted in over 124,000 vasectomies performed in 35 countries, with the support of 944 doctors and 32 global allies. WVD is working to open more clinics, train more doctors, and fund more initiatives that make vasectomy more accessible worldwide. 

On World Vasectomy Day, the 22nd of November, BlueKit Medical’s Managing Director, Rebecca Porter, and Dr Paul Fourie, Vasectomist and GP at Blackburn Lancashire, were invited to lead an expert panel to discuss the core barriers and solutions to achieving these goals in the UK.


What happened at the 2024 WVD UK panel discussion. 

With five great speakers ready to contribute, Dr. Naomi Sutton, Vasectomy Surgeon and well-known TV doctor, started by making quite the impression as she offered a sharp take on Elon Musk’s social media comments, while also sharing some surprising facts about contraception and offering a glimpse into current trends in reproductive and sexual health. Dr. Martin Kittel, renowned vasectomy surgeon and clinical director at Thames Valley Vasectomy Services (TVVS), broadcasting from the stunning landscapes of Jordan, couldn’t help but gush over the local antiquities, claiming they were, "better than the Acropolis in Athens and the Colosseum in Italy," all the while discussing the differences in private and public vasectomy services. Dr. Camille Tchuinkam, Associate Clinical Director at MSI Reproductive Choices, who was juggling between catching a flight back from Zambia, WVD’s annual host nation, and his expert panel duties, had prepared an exploration of effective policies and strategies from his latest research. The session finally welcomed Dr. Nic Rushman, GP, experienced trainer and co-founder of Academy of Community Health Experts (ACHE), and Dr. Gareth James, President of the Association of Surgeons in Primary Care (ASPC), Ex-Vasectomy Surgeon and Locum GP, both providing valuable insights and heaps of statistics on vasectomy services in the UK.

In all, the WVD 2024 panel was a perfect fusion of education and entertainment, offering the medical community not just knowledge, but a bit of humour along the way!

Family Planning in the UK

It doesn’t help when influencers like Elon Musk use their platforms to spread information such as, ‘Hormonal birth control makes you fat, doubles risk of depression & triples risk of suicide. This is the clear scientific consensus’. Spoiler alert, it isn’t!

Did you know, “about one-third of pregnancies in the UK are unplanned, which has negative outcomes for both mothers and babies”, said Sexual Health Consultant and TV Doctor on The Sex Clinic, Dr Naomi Sutton.

Dr Sutton stressed how the spread of misinformation on social media is eroding public trust in contraceptives and medical professionals. Combined with funding cuts to family planning services, conditions to provide the necessary care may be compromised. 

The Private Option

“Why do people choose private vasectomy?” we asked.

Dr. Martin Kittel’s answer was not only straightforward but also amusing, “Why do they choose business class flights: they want the different experience. They have the money, and they don’t mind spending it. They want the best seat and even to know who operates it”. To put it simply, people desire a more personalised experience, flexible scheduling, and the freedom to choose who will perform the procedure and when it will be performed. Despite this, he was also quick to point out that the NHS is still highly efficient. In fact, Dr Kittel shared his own experience, saying some patients were surprised at how quickly the process was completed through the NHS. So, from his expert perspective, if you’re planning to open a private clinic, meeting the patients’ high expectations is a must. If you can’t, well, maybe it’s best to rethink it!

Engagement and Service Delivery

We sadly missed Dr Camille Tchuinckam's contribution, due to flight scheduling issues but had no need to worry as Rebecca Porter stepped in to take us through Dr Tchuinkam's presentation! The barriers to making vasectomy a widely accepted family planning option in the UK are many: a shortage of trained staff, lack of promotion, clinicians’ attitudes and understanding, and sociocultural factors all play a role. Dr. Tchuinckam’s research emphasised the urgent need for further studies and was keen to illustrate a policy window which could lead to the improvement of vasectomy access in the UK .

NHS Strategy


“There is great potential in community-based services”, said Dr Nic Rushman, and he is absolutely right!

As he highlighted the struggles of the NHS and private healthcare sectors in delivering vasectomy services, we heard some revealing stories. Dr. Rushman pointed out that currently hospitals are overwhelmed, and long NHS waitlists for procedures are causing delays, one paper even stated a two year wait for gynaecology appointments! Offering vasectomies in community clinics could be a solution, but, of course, there are still challenges such as governance and training to overcome. Dr. Rushman emphasised that if we could promote the availability and ease of these procedures in community settings, like his own Academy of Community Health Experts (ACHE), it could significantly ease the burden on the NHS. 

Statistics and Training

Dr. Gareth James wasn’t pulling any punches when he revealed the startling 39% decline in vasectomy uptake since 2001. One major culprit? The gap in NHS data! It turns out many vasectomies happen in community clinics, which don’t always make it into the official statistics, leaving us in the dark about where services are needed most. Throw in funding cuts, some outdated myths about the procedure, and a lack of information in family planning resources, and it’s no wonder the numbers aren’t stronger. But there’s still hope! Vasectomy uptake is on the rise, especially in community settings, thanks to partnerships with organisations like ASPC and FSRH. Plus, World Vasectomy Day is making waves by breaking down stigma, offering a path to reverse the trends.

Conclusion

The consensus was optimistic, through better education, increased training, and more community-based services, vasectomy can become a more accessible and widely recognised choice in family planning. As the journey for change continues into the new year, World Vasectomy Day is set to further promote vasectomy as a viable family planning option, this time to the general public!

The motivation to achieve equity in family planning is there and with everyone's support we can make it happen!