Vasectomies in high demand on Vancouver Island

After having two kids, Matt and Anna Jodouin are content.

“We like the family size the way that it is,” he said.

“The next question was, 'OK, well what’s the safest and most effective contraceptive?'"

The couple didn’t want Anna using birth control pills long term, as they can increase the risk of blood clots and cervical cancer.

“So I thought, ‘Okay, well, I guess that means vasectomy time,'” he said.

Jodouin underwent the procedure in July. His doctor said many people are making the same decision.

“There’s a high demand for vasectomy on Vancouver Island at the moment and I find it has increased quite a bit since the pandemic started,” said Dr. Jonathan Follows, who owns a vasectomy clinic in Sidney.

“A lot of the urology specialists have slowed down or quit doing vasectomy altogether. And the referrals are coming over to my clinic.”

B.C.’s health minister believes that's because they’re prioritizing surgeries delayed by the pandemic.

“That’s an issue we’d always have to look at to make sure there’s access everywhere,” Adrian Dix said.

While Jodouin drove from Sooke to Sidney for the procedure, other patients have to go much farther.

“Vasectomy availability is very spotty further up the island,” Follows said.

Dr. Prean Armogam, a physician in Port McNeill, said people who want a vasectomy have to travel to the Comox Valley or farther south.

“The round trip is a few hundred dollars,” Armogam said.

“It’s cost prohibitive for people to actually achieve them and they change their mind.”

In a region where even emergency care is unreliable, he said poor access to elective procedures is a symptom of a bigger problem.

"To plan for elective things and things that are not necessarily emergent or urgent are somewhat harder to prioritize in the face of what’s going on,” he said.

Still, Follows said timely access is important to avoid unexpected pregnancies.

“Vasectomy is a very important method of birth control and it is in fact the most effective method of birth control available,” he said. “Therefore, I think it should be offered as a priority for people around the world.”

Dix said he will look into the issue.