Did you know that today is World Vasectomy Day? It’s a holiday that’s emerged in recent years to educate people around the world about a form of birth control that’s overlooked: the ol’ snip snip.

There’s probably a myriad of reasons why vasectomies aren’t the most popular forms of “family planning.” Most of them, I’m just going to say, are absolute fertilizer. Take it from someone who’s actually had the procedure done: it’s one of the best decisions I ever made.

If you’re on the fence, afraid, or even if you’re vasectomy-curious, I hope my firsthand account can help alleviate your fears and answer burning questions.

Why You Should Get a Vasectomy

I’m not going to wade into countless political topics regarding birth control. That’s neither here nor there. However, if you are a sexually active man and you want a baby not to happen, getting a vasectomy is sort of the best avenue for you. Currently, I am a man in an open marriage, and am sexually active with a partner who could potentially become pregnant. This, to me, would be a Def Con 1 situation. I can’t take care of a baby, I can barely take care of myself!

I wish I could go back to my early 20s, when I had long decided against ever having kids. Despite always using condoms, or dating partners who used some sort of birth control, the panic of the missed period would always be there. I could have saved myself a lot of grief during a pretty tumultuous “hoe phase.”

Pregnancy after a vasectomy is virtually impossible. Condoms are also fairly effective at preventing birth, but there are far more variables involved there. Did the condom stay on the whole time? Was it the correct size? Did the condom rip or tear during sex? Was it put on correctly? A lot of things can go wrong in the heat of the moment.

If I can backtrack that political promise I made earlier just a bit—birth control shouldn’t be the exclusive domain of people with vaginas. The “pill” is a modern miracle, but not without potential side effects. In some cases, people can’t or won’t take birth control because of the way that it affects their body. A vasectomy has no lingering side effects. Once it’s done, it’s done, and that particular complication that goes hand in hand with casual sex (occasional babies) is a non-issue.

Does Getting a Vasectomy Hurt? Nope!

In the iconic Seinfeld episode “The Soul Mate,” various characters get a vasectomy and are seen reeling after getting the procedure. Are Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David responsible for this common misconception surrounding vasectomies? I’m not a legal expert, but probably!

Let me preface my experience getting the procedure with the fact that I’m an absolute weenie. I have no tolerance for pain. That said, I can with good authority say that the procedure is painless. On a scale from 1-10, it’s probably hovering around a two.

It’s hard to believe. When I first consulted with the doctor performing the procedure, I was told the whole shebang would be painless. But, considering how sensitive the location of the procedure would be, I expected at least some discomfort. There just wasn’t any! The procedure was non-invasive, and I was sent home within the hour. There was some soreness, and doctors usually require somebody take you to and from the procedure. But aside from that, I was up and about within a day and a half.

Frankly, consider the whole process a mini vacation. Because I didn’t cry once during the whole procedure, my partner bought me a soft pretzel from Target. No doctor has ever had to tell me twice when commanding I “take it easy for a while.” That said, this isn’t knee surgery. You won’t be laid up for more than a day. And while you should definitely just take it easy, you won’t be immobile during the recovery time, just a little numb. They don’t even give you the good painkillers for post-op, because they’re just not needed.

Also, in the event that you get too high one night, and a screening of Field of Dreams hits you in a weird emotional way that makes you want kids, rest assured: most vasectomies are reversible.

Smashing All the Fake Masculine Bullshit

Performative masculinity is huge nowadays. Personally, I think the whole thing is a massive waste of time and money. Eating more than five ounces of red meat is for fat children, not competent adults who have mortgages and pay taxes. Getting a little too into Marcus Aurelius or deadlifting sounds exhausting. Being consumed with being perceived as some sort of icon of peak masculinity doesn’t just sound like a Sisyphean task, it sounds like a fucking annoying chore.

I say this to preface that a lot of thinking behind why vasectomies aren’t as popular with men nowadays is because of the belief that getting one makes you “less of a man.” I don’t know who’s rubric we’re using. Most men in the “Manosphere” are just trying to sell you false hopes and dick pills.

In the last few years since getting the procedure, I’ve shared the fact that I got a vasectomy with partners who I was becoming sexually active with. The elation on their face was straight out of a Kay Jeweler’s ad. And why wouldn’t it? There are few gifts out there that will hit half as hard as “peace of mind.”

And, fine. Let’s indulge the lizard-brain for a second with my final pitch on this shouldn’t-be-so-hard-sell: Busting raw without consequences is simply unbeatable. So yeah, consult with your doctor, consult with your partner, hell, consult with your God, and see if getting a vasectomy is right for you.