Bob #2's experience -
added Jan 1, 2006
My Vasclip failure story
In October 2004 I had an elective sterilization performed using the VasClip device. I followed the doctor's instructions to minimize swelling and complications. I had the procedure performed on a Thursday and stayed home until Monday. Most of the time I had a dull ache. At times there was moderate pain, especially when moving. The clips felt strange.
My post-op visit at 7 days went well. I had avoided touching myself up until that point, but soon after the visit I discovered a hard mass next to one of the clips. Figuring it was a sperm granuloma, I gave it some time to dissipate. Over the course of 5-7 days it did. As I recall, my first ejaculation was around the same time. It was pretty uncomfortable. For several months I encountered discomfort and sometimes outright pain during sex and ejaculation. I still have occasional discomfort.
The first time I collected a semen sample for analysis was the end of January (about 12 weeks.) I did my best to ejaculate 25 times before then. Unfortunately, I had a count of approximately 2 million sperm per milliliter. In April (another 11 weeks later) I collected a second sample. This time there was no sperm seen. My doctor declared me sterile at this point based on a single negative test result.
My wife missed her period in November. This isn't all that uncommon, so we decided to wait and monitor the situation. When her period didn't show up in December, we bought a pregnancy test and it was positive. I immediately returned to the doctor's office and demanded a new semen analysis. They wrote it up and I submitted a sample the next day. There were 2.8 million sperm per milliliter. The doctor, who has not examined me recently, believes that the vas deferens has re-canalized. I can easily locate one of the clips. It feels like it's properly clamped around a tube. The other one is harder to locate, but it also feels to be correct. My understanding of re-canalization is limited... I don't feel any new growth, so my guess is that sperm are slipping through the clip.
I am currently waiting for an appointment with the doctor who performed the sterilization. We hope to find out more then. In the meantime, we are dealing with pre-natal care, which is something we wanted to avoid for a multitude of reasons.
I am upset that the procedure didn't work--especially since I chose this method due to faster anticipated recovery time (versus a vasectomy with cauterization) and expected success. I am pissed that the doctor didn't follow procedure, which requires two negative semen analyses before declaring a person sterile. I am frustrated that we have to deal with maternity and child-rearing after nearly a decade of successful contraception, mainly with the pill. And I just don't understand how it went from 2 million to zero to 2.8 million in less than a year.
Has the clip failed on anyone else here? Have you heard stories from anybody else? I did some research and it sounds like I might be able to get the maternity and birth costs covered by the doctor. What about the cost of a proper vasectomy and/or tubal ligation? I should certainly be reimbursed the $500 I paid for the clips on top of it all. Unfortunately, this web page was posted just weeks after I had the operation. The doctor who wrote it discusses the 50% failure rate he encountered when he did 4 procedures in the presence of the company's founder.
The VasClip web site states "In the event you consider the initial Vasclip procedure a "failure", the Company requests that you contact the Company (mdinfo@... or 651-631-1830) and review the semen analysis progression of any such patient(s) with Company personnel." I'll do that and see what it yields.
I haven't made a decision as to how I'm going to proceed yet. I'm leaning toward a traditional vasectomy with cauterization and maybe removal of a section of the vas. Any suggestions? I'd really like to hear what you guys think about all of this. Thanks in advance for any advice or support.
Bob