KEY POINTS:
In 1968, Huntly man and father of three Clive Reynolds had a vasectomy. Three years later in 1971 in an experimental procedure Clive had his vasectomy reversed and fathered two more children.
A year later he had his vasectomy reversal reversed, effectively making him unable to father children
once again, until 1978 when he had his vasectomy-reversal-reversal successfully reversed, allowing him to father three more children to a different mother.
Since then Clive has undergone further surgery and to date has had 12 vasectomy procedures and at present is understood to be in a state of reversal.
To many this is testament to the advancements made in the world of vasectomy research and surgery. Others see a moral dilemma, and question whether allowing somebody to reverse his vasectomy multiple times is sending the wrong message about the fundamental responsibilities of birth control.
A vasectomy has traditionally been seen as the be-all-and-end-all of contraceptive measures, with thousands of kiwi males every year opting to undergo the procedure.
Clearly that has changed.
"In this day and age people are prone to change their minds, so a reversal gives them the option to make love responsibly one week but also father more children the next should they be with a different women or situation call for it," says Doctor Wyatt Lombard from the Huntly Vasectomy Institute. "The choice goes back to the man, which is how it should be."
The Huntly Vasectomy Institute was purposely set up in Huntly to help prevent so many people in that particular town from having children, especially as many seemed to be taking a dip in the same gene pool.
Now, ironically, people make the pilgrimage to Huntly from all over the world to have their vasectomies reversed or counter-reversed at its state-of-the-art medical facilities.
The first successful vasectomy reversal took place in the early 70s, and many of us born after 1970 are probably a product of the vasectomy reversal era.
At the time the procedure was seen as a huge advance in medical science but nobody could predict that it would only be a matter of years before somebody had a vasectomy reversal reversed.
The age of the vasectomy reversal reversal was upon us, and like Pandora's box, once opened there was no going back. Unlike the vasectomy itself our actions can't be reversed.
Theoretically there is no limit to how many times this procedure can undertaken, with many clients having multiple vasectomy reversals, some having had as many as 17 vasectomy and vasectomy reversal procedures, a situation that has clearly divided the vasectomy community.
"This is ridiculous, and it defeats the whole point of a man taking responsibility for contraception," says Tony Orlandoman a spokesman for condom manufacturer Durex.
"God created a man's penis in his own image, and he doesn't want people playing with it all the time!"
We are now hearing credible reports of people having "holiday vasectomies", a procedure that might just do the trick while they are away on a business trip.
Some say that with the ease in which a man can have a vasectomy reversed, it is only a matter of time before men will be using vasectomies as the preferred form of contraception on one-night stands.
Moronically, in recent years many people have accidentally fathered children, presuming that they are in a state of vasectomy instead of vasectomy reversal. On the other hand many couples have been trying to have children for years while the man is in a state of vasectomy.
It can be likened to pressing the record button on a video camera when it is already recording - you are actually switching it off instead of on.
Dr Lombard claims to have solved this problem with simple measures such as providing his clients with a card that gets stamped every time he comes back for another procedure. This helps him keep track of whether his penis is in a state of vasectomy or vasectomy reversal, and he gets every fifth procedure free, along with a cup of coffee.
Many believe the condom manufacturers will take an even greater hit with the imminent release of the home vasectomy kit, which allows men to carry out procedures in the comfort of their own home.
The kit or "Mr Vasectaman" puts the control of a man's penis firmly back into his own hands.
By all accounts the simple contraption resembles a cross between a large staple gun and a soda stream machine, and it will be available as part of the As Seen On TV range of products early in the new year.
The prototypes had some painful results, but the latest models have an overlocking function that allows a man to do a vasectomy and a complete reversal, as well as a new feature that can attach buttons and sequins to most jackets.
