100% contraception

[GuybrushThreepwoodMP]

Right, we have one dc and I'm currently pregnant with unexpected twins (we were ttc but conceiving two was a shock). After this we definitely definitely don't want any more.
Will visit GP after birth to discuss further but anyone been in this situation, done the research and can give me the pros and cons of the options? DH is happy to have the snip, I'm happy to get sterilised. Slightly concerned about weighing up possible risks and effectiveness so need to do some research.
I will go back on the pill and am happy to be on the pill long term but I really don't want the possibility of an accidental pregnancy and it's not 100% effective. Thoughts?

I went back on the pill in your position, and it was 100% effective. I was quite happy with this and DH would have had a vasectomy if necessary. I preferred the pms control.

Most other people I know went for the vasectomy route. One went for mirena, only for it to go right through her uterus, so she got sterilised during the op to remove it.

Sterilisation isn't 100% effective either - clips can wander and tubes can recanalise.

That said, vasectomy and LARCs (implant and Mirena) seem to have the lowest fail rates; and the new (non-GA) female sterilisation Essure claims to be even lower.

Snip for sure

I'm on the pill but we also use condoms aswell for total piece of mind.

Vasectomy and the implant are the gold standard of contraception. Female contraception has been noticeably less effective in the past but I don't know about Essure.

And for 10 percent of the lucky couples that opt for the snip it will be 100 percent effective. PVPS will stop your sex life. No chance of pregnancy. Fantastic.

Statistics for methods of contraception are all about the 'success' rates of low pregnancy and play down any side effects as a minor inconvenience. A lot of them do reduce or totally annihilate a sex life, which probably makes them more effective .

There does need to be more talk, discussion and understanding of our sexuality and what these things mean to us. Then we might be able to make a proper informed choice. Too many things mess it up and you are just left to deal with it.

We need the Dutch UN ambassador that was on channel 4 a couple of weeks ago.

I mentioned the side effects of the pain drugs for PVPS to my GP and he didn't seem concerned it stopped me getting an errection. Just upped my pain meds. Great when you've been married many many years and now can't get frisky. GPs need to make folk aware of all side effects.

Wish I had stuck to condoms. They work well with the advantage of less mess.

90% of vasectomies go well, with nothing worse than the transient side effects (ie manageable pain/infection lasting less than a month).

But if a man gets the major complications - and according to NHS website 10% of them do - then there are very few treatment options, and those that exist may not work.

OP: if you are happy to use hormonal contraception, then mirena might be be a good method to try.

Thefuzz Have you considered getting a referral to a pain clinic? They might be able to find you something that helps (not just painkillers) without the unwanted problems. It might give you a breather until you decide what to do about operations.

www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Pain/Pages/Longtermpain.aspx

www.nationalpainaudit.org/

TheFuzz has posted extensively about the all the medical referrals, drugs, clinics, consultants, failed corrective surgery etc since it all went wrong (several threads in this topic). I don't think there are any unexplored avenues.

And that's the snag. PVPS is pretty much untreatable. If reversal doesn't relieve it, you can be looking at it lasting a lifetime.

PVPS is untreatable. The pain clinic has signed me off. Ive even had injections straight into my testes. One one occasion there was a male nurse in the room. He went a bright shade of green.

The drugs I am on aren't nice. Loads of side effects, constipation, dry and sore mouth, nausea and to top it off dodgy errections and no chance of ejaculation (we've tried...) The drugs remove all sensation. In hindsight I would not advise surgery for contraception. I will be requesting that my Urologist removes my testes when I see him. The vasectomy has left me on hormone replacement anyway so there is no need for them. I can't manage another 40 years like this.

Condoms worked well for us when my wife stopped the pill. Men only have two choices of taking responsibility for contraception. One is surgery.