Sharp decline in the number of Mumbai men opting for sterilisation
31 May, 2014Vasectomy involves clamping of a man's vasa deferentia (the tube carrying sperms from each testicle) is clamped or cut to prevent the sperms from coming out. Tubectomy involves clamping of the woman's fallopian tubes to prevent eggs from reaching the uterus. Vasectomy is an easier and safer surgery with advantage over tubectomy - the non-scalpel vasectomy, the no-cut, no-stitch surgery is done under local anaesthesia by making tiny holes in which the patient is allowed to go home in less than an hour and can resume work within a day.
Reply by the BMC to an application filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act has revealed that the number of men opting for permanent sterilization in the city of Mumbai has dropped to nearly half over the last year and plunged to its lowest in the past seven years. During the same period, the number of tubectomy has shown a light rise. As per the data provided, there were:
· in 2013-14, 729 vasectomies were performed while 22,502 women underwent tubectomy,
· 1,363 vasectomies were performed in 2012-13,
· 4,661 vasectomies were performed in 2008-09, the highest during the past years.
The sharp decline in the number of vasectomies has been attributed by experts to:
· The over-reliance on prevention of pregnancy in the society on the females,
· Prevailing myths like fall in libido and loss in desire,
· Fall in Sterilization numbers with increase in use of long-acting intra-uterine devices
· With an increase in institutional deliveries, the number of females who are given the option of tubectomy immediately after child birth may be going up.
The fact that women bear the brunt of family planning even in metros indicate the social bias against women. A massive drive seems to be required to attract more people towards choosing vasectomy as the method choice in cases of permanent sterilisation. The Centre has doubled the incentive from Rs 550 to Rs 1,100 for every man undergoing vasectomy.