Woman Finds Out She's Pregnant 6 Months After Husband's Vasectomy (Exclusive)
- Victoria and Will Wood decided their family was complete after welcoming their second daughter in 2022
- Will opted for a vasectomy to prevent growing their family and was told it was successful
- A few months later, Victoria discovered she was pregnant, sending the two on a journey for answers
Victoria and Will Wood felt in control of their plan for their family's future.
After welcoming their second little girl in 2022, the subject of growing their family in the future came up. It was then that the couple began to think their family was complete. In 2023, they took the next step in confirming their family would not grow, with Will opting to get a vasectomy.
"We both made the decision together, and Will was really proactive in getting it all scheduled and done," Victoria tells PEOPLE.
Will went through with the procedure in October 2023. Part of the follow-up to the procedure was a sperm analysis to confirm it was successful.
"I went in for a consultation and they explained how everything would work. They were very clear upfront about, 'Hey, you and your partner should discuss this before you schedule it, because you need to treat this as it's permanent,' " Will says.
"After the procedure, you send in a kit for them to test to let you know if you are, in fact, sterile so that you can stop other birth control. They were very clear that during that time, we needed to keep another form of birth control, which we did. At the end of January, they sent me the results and I had zero sperm in my analysis."
The family of four went forth enjoying their spring. By May, Victoria realized her period was late.
"April came and went. Mother Nature did not pay me a visit. I've been inconsistent with my period my entire life, so I thought, 'I'm just late a little bit, and that's fine.' But then I started feeling a little nauseous. And then I had this little voice in the back of my head, like, 'I think we need to take a pregnancy test.' "
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A home pregnancy test revealed that Victoria was pregnant, to the complete shock of the pair.
"I was in disbelief because I was pretty meticulous with following the instructions for my procedure. It didn't really add up," Will recalls.
"At first, we were just really worried and stressed and not sure what to do for a number of reasons," he continues. "I think the main thing was that we needed all the answers. So I went in to get another analysis right after that."
Will consulted with his urologist, who also recommended seeing if he was producing sperm. "I did the second analysis at a different location. This was not a take-home kit. We found out that I was still not producing any sperm."
Will's doctor expressed some concerns about underlying issues that could lead to Victoria's positive pregnancy test without her actually being pregnant.
"We were trying to figure out, 'Am I pregnant? Am I not?' I just remember crying and being really overwhelmed and telling Will I couldn't wait to be seen by specialists to get answers," Victoria says.
"At that point, we were still going off the at-home test. So we went to the emergency room, just to make sure nothing crazy was happening," Will adds. "They confirmed for us with a sonogram that Victoria is pregnant and that it was a very normal pregnancy. That first weekend, we were just sorting through all this information."
The soon-to-be mom of three says that while "it was a relief" to learn she was expecting, "We were back to, 'How did this happen?' "
Will notes that while there was a "subtle implication" by some of the medical professionals they spoke with that infidelity could be an issue, it was never a question for them.
"I think, for us, right away, neither of us went to the place of needing a paternity test. I trust Victoria. I was more concerned that something crazy was happening than that she'd been unfaithful. That's why we went to the E.R.," Will says.
"I offered it up to Will and his gut instinct was no. He felt it was so unnecessary and we knew it was our decision to make. Later, we talked about getting it just for the data point," Victoria adds. "We thought it might be good to have so that any doubters or naysayers had no leg to stand on."
Will notes it also "made me feel better, going into follow-up appointments, because I think they weren't really taking me seriously. So ultimately, we wanted that data point for doctors we'd be seeing."
"I just want to bring everyone peace," Victoria levels. "Whether that's the doctors, whether that's family members, whether that's anybody that feels like there's always that question. Because in other situations, it might be a more likely possibility. So we had that piece of paper to put everyone's mind at ease and as more proof of our crazy unfathomable story that defies science, statistics and all of that good stuff."
In their continued search for answers, Victoria decided to make a TikTok sharing their story, in hopes someone out there might have a similar experience or some technical knowledge to add.
"I actually told Will after I did it. I recorded it on my lunch break at work after Will told me he was going to see another urologist to get a second opinion. We're still scratching our heads and have no definitive answers," she says.
"I'm not an avid poster, but I thought, 'Maybe if I can reach medical professionals or people who have worked in labs, they can glean any helpful information.' I was hoping someone could guide us or provide us with something, because we're still really confused about how this happened."
Neither Victoria nor Will imagined her recap of the situation would go viral. "I never expected it to blow up, which I know everyone says. But it was just crazy. I was in the moment and next thing I know, we're seeing all these comments," she says. "Some people have had vasectomies and hysterectomies that were not successful."
Will adds, "We were still seeing people who said, 'Oh, she must have cheated.' That's why we got the test! We don't have all the answers, but we do have that answer."
Commenters have had some other more useful suggestions for the couple to investigate.
"One of the main things was that Will possibly has another set of vas deferens. But then the sperm analysis should have shown something other than a zero, right? If there's a connection somewhere, it should have picked it up — especially because we've been to three different labs at this point."
An ultrasound technician suggested that Will get a scrotal ultrasound, "because there could be a microscopic testis that only works some of the time."
Will explains that the doctors he's seen remain stumped but think he should assume his procedure was successful despite the pregnancy.
"Urologists have said that with all these analyses I've done and keep doing, none of them are showing what they call a recanalization, which is where the vas deferens reconnects. So if I'm still showing none, it should mean the vasectomy was successful. But in the back of my head, I'm like, 'Well I thought that the first time.' The trust piece is really tough."
While the couple do want answers, with the hopes of being proactive in the future, they do plan to explore other birth control options. They're unsure how much further they'll take their investigation into the surprise pregnancy.
"I feel like people might be disappointed, but it's just a lot," Victoria says. "It's a lot to ask Will to go to all these different doctors."
"People are speculating on pretty wild anatomical reasons, but there's not good tests to truly understand what's going on down there other than some sort of exploratory surgery, which doctors believe is unnecessarily invasive," Will says.
"It comes down to how much I want to try to endure to get answers I may never truly get," he continues. "The medical bills add up too. We don't have a solid lead to go on, so it may be time to accept our miracle somehow happened and leave it at that."
The couple is now focused on celebrating their growing family with their two daughters, Luna and Laney, who are excited to welcome their little sister this winter.
"I joke that we're happy it's a girl because we're over surprises," Victoria laughs. "At least that's something we know. But we're really excited. We've told the girls that they'll have a little sister and they're pretty pumped. They were rooting for a girl."
"Now, we just take it day-by-day because it's been a wild ride," the expectant mom says.
The couple also hopes their story helps couples start conversations about their family plans and being proactive about how and when they choose to add to their families.
"I did really struggle with this for a time," Will admits. "Unplanned pregnancies can be really challenging for families. It's important for you and your partner to talk about these things and try to be on the same page."
"Have tough conversations early on. It's important to have conversations and good plans around birth control, but also being ready to deal with the unexpected," he says.
"I'm very fortunate to have someone as supportive as Victoria and our family. That has made it much easier."
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