A plastic surgeon in Taiwan has shared a shocking viral video showing himself carrying out his own vasectomy.
Dr Chen Weinong, a father of three, described his decision to get the snip as ‘gift for his wife’ to ensure they didn’t have any more children.
A vasectomy is a permanent method of male contraception that prevents pregnancy by surgically cutting and sealing the tubes that carry sperm from the testicles.
While a vasectomy isn’t that unusual, with more than 10,000 performed in England each year, doing it yourself is and Dr Chen’s video came with a strict ‘do not try this at home’ warning.
The video, published on Facebook and Instagram for ‘educational purposes’, shows Dr Chen laying back in a surgical chair while he uses a scalpel and surgical clamp to carry out the operation.
He is fully conscious after using a local anaesthetic to numb his genitals.
At one point he leans back seemingly in a moment of pain during the hour-long operation before carrying on.
As the procedure concludes, he stitches himself up with ‘catgut’ — a type of surgical suture made from the intestines of animals like cows and sheep.
‘It was a strange feeling to touch and suture my own urethra,’ he wrote on social media.
Dr Chen Weinong, a father of three, described his decision to get the snip as ‘gift for his wife’ to ensure they didn’t have any more children
Vasectomies typically take about 30 minutes according to the NHS, but Dr Chen’s DIY version took twice this time due to the effort of carrying it out on his own anatomy.
He added that while he did experience some pain and discomfort the night following the surgery, he felt fine by the next morning.
The NHS says it is common to feel some pain for one or two weeks following the operation.
Dr Chen’s video went viral gaining 4million views across various social media.
While some commentators hailed his bravery others questioned the legality of the procedure.
However, local media reported that following what was described as a ‘preliminary investigation’ by health officials, there were no legal issues involved.
Dr Chen also highlighted that his self-surgery was performed under the supervision of a qualified urologist who could have taken over if needed.
Self-surgery is rare, and most documented cases involve extreme examples of life-or-death situations.
One famous example is that of Leonid Rogozov, a Russian physician who was forced to surgically remove his own appendix after suffering appendicitis during an isolated Soviet Antarctic expedition in the 60s.
The operation proved to be a success.
