More men stepping up in family planning responsibilities

Family planning laws across the U.S. are changing and access to reproductive health is becoming more challenging. As a result, Capitol Urology, owned by the most experienced vasectomy surgeon in South Carolina Dr. Thomas B. Edmunds, Jr., has seen a 400% increase in vasectomy appointment requests since the overturn of Roe v. Wade last year. 

“While recent legislation hasn’t changed what we do, it has given a lot of men a sense of urgency to go ahead and get a vasectomy.” said Edmunds. “It’s a simple procedure, and my goal is to continue to advocate for men to step up and take the burden of birth control off their female partners.” 

Dr. Edmunds performs no-scalpel vasectomies in his office as a 15-minute out-patient procedure that is 99.999% effective, permanent birth control. Compare this to sterilization procedures for women that are major surgeries performed in a hospital and are much more expensive.

“A staggering 54% of pregnancies are unplanned, which can lead to relationship strain, financial hardship, serious health challenges for the mother, and more,” said Edmunds. “With fewer options now available to women, we’re seeing men of all ages choose a vasectomy and take responsibility for their part in family planning.”

Dr. Edmunds spends the initial consultation with patients sharing important information about the procedure. He says most men want to know about pain, recovery and if there are any long-term impacts of vasectomy surgery. Edmunds is the most experienced vasectomy surgeon in South Carolina and has performed more than 4,500 procedures using a no-scalpel surgical approach, resulting in a faster recovery and less pain reported from patients. 

“Most patients are shocked at how quick and painless the procedure is,” said Edmunds. “Recovery is three days of rest and a return to normal activity in ten days. My goal is to reassure and comfort patients and take care of them like family members.”

Important vasectomy facts:

  1. Vasectomies should be considered permanent birth control. While reversals are possible, they aren’t always successful and are costly. 
  2. When done by an experienced surgeon, a vasectomy will not impact sexual performance. If anything, intimacy is improved when the stress of an unwanted pregnancy is removed. 
  3. Sterilization is not immediate. It typically takes about 90 days to reach full effectiveness. 

As a solo medical practice, Capitol Urology can schedule patients for an initial consult within days, with the procedure often scheduled the same week. If you’ve made the decision to consider a vasectomy, Dr. Edmunds and his knowledgable staff will treat you like family!

Prostate Cancer Screenings at Palmetto Health

Dr. Edmunds was recently on WIS TV explaining the benefits of being screened for prostate cancer, the number two cancer killer in men.  The free Prostate Cancer Screenings at Palmetto Health will be on September 25, 2013.  For more details, watch the video:

Delicate Surgeries Require Skilled Hands and a Keen Eye

Reprinted from Good Housekeeping, Redbook and Woman’s Day

Training, experience, and compassion matter when choosing a doctor for sensitive urological care. Dr. Thomas B. Edmunds of Capitol Urology has performed more than 3,200 advanced surgeries and specializes in minimally invasive procedures such as robotic-assisted prostatectomy. He brings a unique combination of skills to the operating table: “It may not sound important, but I play guitar and piano in a professional band, have been involved in athletics, and have played video games since I was five,” he says. “Those activities have complemented my extensive training in surgery and oncology by further developing the hand-eye coordination necessary for using advanced image-based technologies.”

Personalized Care

Dr. Edmunds’s care goes beyond standard protocol: “I treat patients how I would want to be treated—like family. Sometimes that means giving them my cell phone number. I’m in the top one percent of prostatectomy surgeons in terms of surgeries performed, but I limit the number of patients I see in a day so I can meet with them longer.” Losing a friend to cancer recently reawakened Dr. Edmunds to “the gifts of life,” he says, and bolstered his passion for using his surgical skills to treat urological conditions such as prostate cancer. Despite controversy over prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing to detect cancer, Dr. Edmunds emphasizes that “prostate cancer is very curable if found early, especially in African American men, who are at above-average risk.”

Precise Procedures

Dr. Edmunds often performs prostate surgery using the da Vinci® Surgical System, which uses high-definition imagery and robotics to nimbly navigate the nerve-packed area around the prostate. “Many men return to normal activity in two weeks, compared to six weeks after traditional open surgery,” Dr. Edmunds says. No-scalpel vasectomies usually take about ten minutes and are performed with local anesthesia. “Patients generally experience no side effects when the procedure is done properly, so it’s important to choose a doctor who has performed a lot of them,” Dr. Edmunds advises. Kidney stones—which affect both men and women—can be treated using sound waves or lasers, depending on the stone’s size and location. “My goal is to provide comprehensive care using the best modalities,” Dr. Edmunds says. “Competency and compassion go hand in hand.”

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