Rob Delaney reveals why he got a vasectomy and calls out an important double standard

Robert Delaney just shared every painstaking and hilarious detail about his recent vasectomy and it’s absolutely eye-opening.

The American actor, writer and comedian, who lives in London with his wife Leah and their three sons, wrote about the “giant pain in the a**” burden placed on women when it comes to contraception and his overall experience during his first ever NHS surgery.

The couple decided Rob would get a vasectomy for a number of reasons, including Leah being able to “work and travel more easily and have a bigger world again, after an insane six years of being pregnant and breastfeeding”, as well as the simple fact that they “don’t want her to get pregnant again”.

But it’s his open and honest explanation about contraception that really got people talking.

The 'Catastrophe' creator wrote in the Guardian on Wednesday:

I figured after all my wife, Leah, and her body had done for our family, the least I could do was let a doctor slice into my bag and sterilise me. Leah had taken birth control for decades, which is a giant pain in the a** and also decidedly sexist pharmacological slavery.

IMAGINE a man having to remember to not only take a pill every day, but also having to deal with employer-provided private insurance prescription plans in the US which drop you or sell your plan to another company without telling you, among other crimes. And messing up once could land you with – for example – an ectopic pregnancy that isn’t diagnosed soon enough because you’re afraid to go to the doctor due to your high deductible, so you literally die and are dead, in a cemetery. I think I speak for my bros when I say: “No thanks!”

This led to people thanking the comedian for speaking out about the expectations placed on women:

During the piece, Rob discussed the brilliant NHS staff doing the efficient procedure, the pain immediately afterwards and the recovery process, including this, er, insightful (but hilarious) anecdote:

Maybe a week later, my wife discovered me masturbating in our living room at 3am. I explained that my post-op literature said that my first loads after surgery could contain blood and I didn’t want her to have to see that. She appreciated that.

God is good sometimes, however, and there was no blood. Thus, we could resume having sex.

The frank and honest piece also opened up a dialogue.

As a result of Rob talking about his procedure, many men responded with their own vasectomy stories.

There were funny stories:

And some vasectomy fails:

Ouch.