Planned Parenthood Begins Offering Vasectomies
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Planned Parenthood clinic on the city's Near North Side is now offering vasectomies for men who do not want children or who feel their families are complete.
The Near North Health Center, at 1200 N. LaSalle Blvd., has begun no-scalpel vasectomy services for men.
The clinic is offering no-scalpel vasectomies, in which the vas deferens tubes that carry sperm from the testes into the seminal fluid are blocked via a small incision in the scrotum. Planned Parenthood says the procedure is 99 percent effective, and does not result in any change in sex drive or sexual performance.
"No-scalpel vasectomy is a safe and easy outpatient procedure," Kai Tao, vice president of clinical operations at the center. "Patients are provided with anesthesia and numbing medication to make the procedure virtually painless. There is little recovery time and most men return to work the next day."
Planned Parenthood emphasizes that the procedure does not work instantly. It takes eight to 16 weeks, or 12 to 20 ejaculations, to release all the sperm that were ready to launch before the procedure.
A follow-up test is conducted three months after the procedure to ensure it worked, Planned Parenthood said.
The procedure, along with pain medications and follow-up appointments, are cheaper than similar procedures at private doctors, Planned Parenthood said. A vasectomy is also much cheaper than the cost of a lifetime of birth control for a woman, the agency said.
Many insurance plans cover the procedure, and some patients might qualify for additional discounts, Planned Parenthood said.
The clinic is located at the northwest corner of LaSalle Boulevard and Division Street. Planned Parenthood says more information is available at (800) 230-PLAN or the Planned Parenthood Web site.
