The mere mention of his name can make men weak in the knees. But you'd be hard pressed to find someone who hasn’t heard of Dr. Weiss here in Ottawa. And little wonder; the physician has just performed his 50-thousandth vasectomy.
Dr. Weiss introduced the "no scalpel, no needle" technique for vasectomy here in Canada 25 years ago that is now considered the golden standard for "snipping."
Clearly Howard Wolowitz isn't familiar with Dr. Ron Weiss, if his interpretation of the vasectomy shuffle is any indication.
Fortunately, Ottawa resident Chris Lord wasn't familiar with that episode of the Big Bang Theory because he's feeling pretty calm about his vasectomy, due to be performed in about 2 minutes.
“I’ve got 3 kids in a 3-bedroom house,” he jokes, “so I don't want a bigger house.”
Lord’s comfort level comes from knowing he's in capable hands. Dr. Ron Weiss performs the scalpel-free, needle-free technique 14 times every day of the week.
Last Monday marked his 50-thousandth vasectomy. He introduced the technique to Canada in 1992 and now does 70 each week.
“You have a procedure that literally takes minutes,” explains Dr. Weiss, “It's painless, has a low rate of complication and is the most effective form of birth control. Men are stepping up to the plate.”
Dr. Weiss explains that he using something called a jet injector for anesthesia to freeze the area. When the area is numb, he makes a tiny opening in the scrotum to access the vas deferens.
“The vas deferens is the tube that carries the sperm,” he explains, “It’s just like spaghetti, looks just like spaghetti. I pull it out, cut it, block it and tuck it back in and do the same thing on the other side. This is considered the gold standard around the world.”
In his spare time, Dr. Weiss doubles as a musician. He's just released his 3rd CD, though it is his medical “day job” that is his true passion.
“I wouldn't do this if it wasn't fun,” he says, “and it is fun. I’m dealing with healthy young people who want a service that will enhance their sex life, take away some of their worry.”
Now, that's not to say men don't feel nervous coming here.
Debbie Halton-Weiss, who is married to Dr. Weiss, and works with him at his Glebe medical office, says even the big guys go down from time to time.
“There was one man,” recalls Halton-Weiss, “he was 7 feet talk, comes and stands where you are, and goes right down. He doesn't even say the word vasectomy and he's down.”
About 15 minutes after Chris Lord walked in to the examination room, he’s done and none too worse for wear.
“I feel great,” he says, “I'm supposed to take it easy but I don’t' feel any different than I did walking in.”
Except of course, he knows that 3 bedroom house now is going to fit his family just fine.