James Van Der Beek reveals he had a vasectomy before colorectal cancer diagnosisannounced earlier this week.

“I thought the only way to stop having children was to have medical intervention,” said the 47-year-old father of six. Noticed when talking to people in an interview published Saturday.

“I said listen, kids, you know your dad had surgery on his private parts, so be careful not to hit anything as you run towards me,” he hilariously recalled.

Van Der Beek shares his children with his wife Kimberly Van Der Beek: Olivia, 14, Joshua, 12, Annabel, 10, Emilia, 8, Gwen, 6, and Jeremiah, 3.

He joked that he and Kimberly were “really terrible” at “not getting pregnant” after only planning one of their pregnancies.

“We love having kids, but we didn’t really plan on it,” she explained. “One was 100% intentional.”

“But honestly, thank God, because this is a huge struggle for people and we really don’t take it lightly,” he added. “I’m kidding and laughing, but yeah, we’re really lucky in that regard.”

James and Kimberly have also experienced at least two pregnancy losses over the years.

HE Announced on “Dancing with the Stars” In 2019, Kimberly had a miscarriage and later revealed it He had a heartbreaking experience. before.

Kimberly, 42, revealed she nearly lost her life during a miscarriage in 2019.

James, who remains honest with fans about personal matters, announced his stage 3 cancer diagnosis on Sunday.

“I deal specifically with this diagnosis and, with the support of my incredible family, I am taking steps to resolve the issue,” he said in a statement to People. “There are reasons to be optimistic and I feel good.”

Hours after her health update, the “Dawson’s Creek” alum took to Instagram to tell fans about her situation. planned to wait to share his cancer diagnosis.

“There’s no playbook for how to get the word out about these things, but I had planned to speak at length with People magazine about this recently to raise awareness and tell my story on my own terms,” ​​she wrote in a photo montage. Pulley.

“But that plan had to be changed when I was notified early this morning that a tabloid newspaper would be publishing this story.”

In the cover story published by People magazine on Friday, he said: “Cautiously optimistic” about his health.

“I’m on the mend, my energy levels are great,” he said.

“Once I am completely out of the woods for a responsible period of time, I will return and let you know.”

He did not reveal whether he was in remission or not.