Tuesday, April 18, 2017

What? Pregnant after vasectomy?


THE BIG ONE
It's true!  It happened!  I blogged about it 5 years ago and wanted to summarize some fun moments since then.  So welcome to anyone visiting for the first time!  


TURNING 7
This month is a special month! Our 3rd child who was conceived after a "successful" vasectomy is turning 7!  Say what?!  Yes!  I got pregnant months after the procedure!  I never expected to be a mom of three especially after we “finalized” things.  As much as we joked about getting pregnant, we never thought it’d really happen!  Number 1 and number “done” we’d say referring to our daughter and son who were 4 and 2 at the time. But God had other plans for our family.

PREGNANT AFTER VASECTOMY
Jay had a vasectomy in January 2009 but I got pregnant months after getting the “all clear” from his urologist.  I was certain that his vas deferens grew back. He went to his urologist in September 2009 to get retested so we could fix the problem.  The doctor called Jay to tell him that he didn’t have any live sperm in his lab work.  He did have one dead one but a normal sample would have millions and he couldn't get someone pregnant {said the doctor – ha!}.  After my husband got off the phone and filled me in, I called them right back and spoke to a nurse because I was utterly confused!  I wanted to know if Jay could get an ultrasound or something to double check.  She said it wouldn’t be necessary because the vasectomy was a success based on the lab results.  I asked why there'd be one dead sperm?  She responded that it probably got hung up somewhere.  {How does THAT get hung up for months?}  I asked her what I was supposed to do for birth control as I didn’t want to have kids til I hit menopause!  Her response was and I quote:  “This sort of thing doesn’t happen unless someone else is involved.”  I was too shocked to reply.  I was just accused of infidelity!  Again my kids were 4 and 2 and I had hardly any energy for one man let alone two.  That’s absurd!  I didn’t need a man for THAT!  {I needed a personal chef or a housekeeper though!}  Besides, my man is HOT!

SECOND OPINION
In March 2010, we went to a different urologist for a second opinion.  The lab results came back and Jay had zero sperm in his lab work confirming that it definitely was a “successful vasectomy”.  *Insert blank stare*  Ok seriously though... why was I pregnant???  Most people get pregnant because they didn’t wait for the all clear after the procedure or their vas deferens grew back... but neither happened to us.  Urologists say that vasectomies are 99.9% effective but no one has ever collected our data so I question that statistic now.

DNA TEST
I get that most people reading this don’t know me and may think there must be another man and my husband is a fool.  Before we could tell this story, we decided to have DNA testing done for credibility.  Colin is indeed Jay’s son.  {Now he jokes that he’s not sure of the other two.  Haha!}  Thankfully our marriage was in a good place and he chose to trust me even before the DNA test.  I'm a very honest and direct person and he said that I had never given him any reason in our history of marriage to doubt me.


SINCE MY 1ST POST
Our son was born in April 2010.  I first blogged {here} about being pregnant after a successful vasectomy in January 2012.  A reporter at the Huffington Post found it and had me on Huff Post Live {my recap here} in August 2014.  A producer for The Doctors saw that clip and invited my husband and I out to Hollywood, CA to be on the show.  So off we went to share our story with the world which aired in October 2014.  You can watch the clip {here} but the last minute was cut from what actually aired.  

Below is the last bit transcribed to read after you watch the clip.  I like how Dr. Travis recaps it:

Dr. Travis:  So this is rare enough that if people are at home, they’ve had a vasectomy and they’re thinking “Oh my gosh do I need to start using a secondary form of birth control?”
Dr. Spitz: Ya
Dr. Travis: You’re not telling people to do that right?
Dr. Spitz: The incidents of this is about 1 in 2000. And interestingly in my personal experience I’ve encountered a patient or two who’s had a scenario of a pregnancy after a vasectomy, more often than not they’re grateful they have the child.
Dr. Travis: And what’s cool about this story is Mary and Jay I think you’re saying loud and clear, this was meant to be and this was in the end a blessing.
Mary: Absolutely.
Jay: Absolutely yeah.
Dr. Travis: And that’s what matters.
Dr. Spitz: Watch that child. He’s got a bright future.
{The Doctors show aired 10/3/14. This is last minute that was cut from the segment of the show that’s posted on their website.}

He does have a bright future, as do all our children!  I can't imagine NOT having them all!

WHY WE'RE SHARING
Today we share our story again not just because it’s a 7th birthday but to participate in an Honest Moment c/o The Honest Company.  My son’s conception story is just one of those moments that changed us and our family forever.   We also know we aren't the only ones to go through this. When we did an internet search after our mystery conception, there was only one other person we found in a similar situation.  When I reached out to her she said she couldn’t talk to me because she was involved in a lawsuit.  They were suing her husband’s doctor for “wrongful birth”.  We had no desire to pursue that course of action but we did want others to find us so they would know that it does happen and they aren’t alone!  I have received a few comments on that original post and it’s a hard thing to go through especially when the medical community tells you that it’s highly unlikely.

Check out The Honest Company.  And enjoy this beautiful video that celebrates the gift of pregnancy, birth and life.  Because whether planned or a surprise, it's pretty amazing!



sig. oct 2015 photo signature oct 2015_zpskqpepnv4.png

7 comments:

Helene said...

That is a fantastic story of a baby God intended to be!

Kristi said...

It is truly amazing what God can do and how his plans unfold, even when we try to circumvent them. What a blessed and special child!

Unknown said...

What an amazing story that I've so thoroughly enjoyed following over the years!

Lovelybabies said...

Hello,
Can I ask why did you suspect that it had grew back?
You were very dogged despite being told different by the ‘experts’��

Jen said...

You’re telling my story basically!! My fiancé (we get married next week and have five combined kids) had a vasectomy in January. We did the two follow up tests and he was all clear. Then the last week of August I was talking to my soon to be sister in law about how my hormones after my last son was born (December 2017) were all messed up and I was even a week and a half late. She gave me a test to take “just for fun”. That thing turned positive before I could even flush the toilet. How could this happen!!! I went home and told my fiancé. I cried and he laughed. Said God apparently wanted us to have another child. So he called his doctor the following week and they sent him to a lab. First lab came back as sperm present. No numbers or whether dead or alive, just present. So then his doctor had him bring in a sample to him. He does and the doctor said there were only a few dead ones. But not enough to get anyone pregnant. Well here I am!!! And like you my thought was why are there any sperm at all!! So earlier this week he gets sent to a fertility lab for a sample. We are still waiting on those results. They are calling his vasectomy a success. But I’m still pregnant! Due in April of next year. Thankfully he loves and trusts me and knows that this baby is his. After this child is born we will be doing the DNA test immediately and sending it to his doctor with the birth announcement. But the dismissive “the surgery was a success and you can’t get anyone pregnant with those numbers” is infuriating. I will be getting fixed after this baby is born.

The Workmans said...

My husband had a "successful" vasectomy exactly a year ago and today we just found out I'm pregnant with baby #5! Our kids range in age from 8 years old to 16 months. We're still both reeling from the shock of it all, but trying to trust that the Lord knows what he's doing. I'm glad I found your blog post and that we're not alone!

seo master said...

Pretty good post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts. Any way I'll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you post again soon. Big thanks for the useful info. حوامل