James Van Der Beek had a vasectomy after the birth of his sixth child

Kimberly told People magazine: "Well, we love having kids, but we didn't really plan it out. It just happened. We had one planned child."

James - who recently revealed he has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer - added: "One! Out of six. One was 100% on purpose. The one thing we really sucked at was not getting pregnant.

"But thank God, honestly, because it's such a struggle for people, and we really don't take it for granted. I joke, and I laugh, but like, yeah, we really just kind of got lucky that way.

"I figured the only way we're going to stop this is if we have some medical intervention."

The 47-year-old star recalled talking to his kids after the operation and some funny words of sympathy he was given from daughter Gwen.

He said: "I said listen, guys, you know Daddy has some surgery on his private parts, so just be really careful when you run up to me not to bump into anything.

"And my youngest daughter looked me straight in the eye and said, 'Daddy, I hope your vagina feels better.'

"I was like, 'Is she taking a shot at me?' "

Kimberly insisted: "Oh, it's a compliment."

Following the 'Varsity Blues' actor's diagnosis, he and his wife are determined to find the "beauty" in every day.

Kimberly said: "We've had five miscarriages. Two of them were late-term, near-death experiences. We've weathered a lot of storms together.

"This has been a really difficult year, but there's been this underlying way that we savour life differently. It feels like we understand what real true presence is, what savouring life feels like, finding the beauty in all of it."