‘Miracles’ Aren’t Always Welcome
Dear Ann Landers: Recently, you printed a letter from a woman who became pregnant after her husband had a vasectomy. I have a similar story to tell.
In 1971, I had a malignant tumor that resulted in the removal of my right testicle. I was told the laboratory tests indicated my sperm count was just about zero, which meant I was incapable of impregnating a woman. When I told my wife, she said, “That’s perfectly OK with me. I won’t have to bother about birth control from now on.”
Three months later, she was pregnant. We were completely shocked, but we considered our son a miracle. Six years after that, we were blessed with another “miracle.” Again, in 1981, a third “miracle” occurred. Please, Ann Landers, tell your readers that the experts are far from infallible. We have three fine children to prove it. - It Happened in Minnesota
Dear Minnesota: It has happened in several other states as well, but not everyone thinks it’s a miracle. You should see my mail! Keep reading for more:
From San Diego: My father and I have been performing vasectomies for nearly 50 years. The lab is almost 100 percent right in identifying the possibility of the male producing a child after a vasectomy. A man is considered impotent if he doesn’t have at least 10 million sperm in a semen sample, even though, theoretically, one sperm can produce a pregnancy.
Five of my patients “miraculously” fathered a child. In every instance, the pregnancy was the result of an illicit sexual encounter, not a mistake in the lab. I’ve had wives come in and yell at me because their husband’s vasectomy “failed.” In each case, after a calm conversation, it turned out that she’d had sex with another man. Of course, I always accept the blame for being wrong and never tell what I know.
Champaign, Ill.: Reading those letters about failed vasectomies reminded me of my college days. A young cad told several women he was sterile, which was a lie. He simply wanted to have sex “in the natural,” as he put it. Two of those girls became pregnant. He became a father twice in three months. Neither girl wanted to be married to him. I’ve always known that men are bigger liars than women.
Malvern, Pa.: Reading those letters about vasectomies made me laugh and think of my own story. My husband and I decided when we married that we would have two children - the ideal family. After our second child was born, I went on the pill. Twenty-two months later, I was horrified to discover that I was pregnant again. My ob-gyn gave us a post-graduate course on the rate of pregnancies among women who are on the pill. We were astonished.
After our third daughter was born, I said, “Enough is enough,” and insisted that my husband have a vasectomy. Would you believe that 18 months later, I was pregnant again? After four Caesarean deliveries, my faith in vasectomies completely destroyed, I insisted that the doctor perform a hysterectomy. Reluctantly, he did, but it was a tremendous relief to both my husband and me. After the surgery, I told my doc, “If I turn up pregnant again, you will be paying for five college educations and five weddings.” He said, smiling, “That’s a deal.”
Dear Readers: Total abstinence is one sure way to prevent getting pregnant, but I am not recommending it for married couples. It could lead to more problems than an unwanted pregnancy.