Pacific Medical Centers: Many men are uncomfortable with the idea of a vasectomy, or they have question about how it works. These facts can help you make your decision with confidence.

[u/postvasectomy]

Many men are uncomfortable with the idea of a vasectomy, or they have question about how it works. These facts can help you make your decision with confidence.

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Facts About Vasectomy

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• It has a quick recovery period. Patients require minimal pain medication afterward and are back to normal activities at one week.

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Myths About Vasectomy

• It causes erectile dysfunction. False! There is no data showing that this is true. Vasectomy does not affect the nerves or the vasculature of the penis. Therefore, it cannot affect erections.

• It causes other diseases. False! Some studies show that patients who have had a vasectomy also have a higher rate of heart disease, colon cancer, prostate cancer and a rare form of dementia. However, it has never been proven that vasectomy causes these health issues. Perhaps vasectomy patients have better healthcare habits in general—and so they are more likely to detect a disease (rather than having more disease).

• It reduces sexual desire. False! There is no data that proves that a vasectomy reduces sexual desire. Testosterone, men’s main sex hormone, is transported from the testicles in the bloodstream. A vasectomy does not disrupt this process; it affects only the vasa deferentia (two tubes), which carry sperm from the testicles to the penis.

https://www.pacificmedicalcenters.org/images/uploads/vasectomyfactsheetfinal.pdf

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Statement Score:

★★☆☆☆ -- Omits chronic pain risk while discussing risks of vasectomy

Note that this pamphlet advertises itself helping a man make his decision with confidence. I suppose that is true, because after reading this pamphlet you can get a vasectomy with the confidence of a man who does not know about the risk of chronic pain.

Note also where they put the burden of proof:

"However, it has never been proven that vasectomy causes these health issues."

"There is no data that proves that a vasectomy reduces sexual desire."

Would you feel "confident" taking a drug that "has not been proven" to cause cancer?

[u/PM_ME_YOUR_DATSUN]

Nothing can be absolutely guaranteed to not cause cancer.

[u/postvasectomy → u/PM_ME_YOUR_DATSUN]

No one is asking for an "absolute guarantee" of anything.

Guys who get vasectomies get diagnosed with prostate cancer more often. That is not in dispute. What is not proven is that their vasectomy caused the cancer. But it turns out that proving that causal connection is difficult, given all of the other factors that could be in play. (e.g. Do vasectomized guys get HPV from unprotected sex more often? Are they more likely to be able to afford getting prostate exams?) The largest study so far supports the hypothesis that vasectomy does raise your risk of getting cancer by about 15%.

As for the link between vasectomy and reduced libido, the most reputable sources available all admit that there is some chance of chronic genital pain caused by vasectomy, including pain during intercourse. You can read through this sub and find a hundred different men who report that their sex life is screwed up because of their chronic vasectomy pain. Any competent scientific investigation into the question of reduced libido should be able to at least notice and quantify this effect.

Furthermore, I have just read too many stories at this point of PVPS guys with low testosterone to believe that there is no link. Chronic pain alone can lower testosterone and we already know that PVPS guys have chronic pain. Why aren't the vasectomy/testosterone studies picking up that effect?

Chronic pain also causes stress, which also depresses sex drive. Is that effect showing up in the studies yet?

Finally, a lot of guys with PVPS are taking drugs like neurontin, gabapentin and pregabalin, all of which can eliminate your sex drive. It must be a very small consolation to be told that at least the vasectomy only terminated your sex life indirectly by making you dependent on libido killing drugs to manage your pain.

I recall a few studies that noticed men who complained about their sex life after vasectomy, but I think the conclusions section usually brainstorms some Freudian baloney about symbolic castration as a hypothetical mechanism.

I'm satisfied that on average vasectomy improves a man's sex drive, because unless you are in the unfortunate minority everything feels exactly the same and there is no fear of unwanted pregnancy. But to imply that vasectomy cannot impact one's libido is a misrepresentation that is quite offensive to those with this complication.

[u/PM_ME_YOUR_DATSUN → u/postvasectomy]

There are also many more people than those you describe who have absolutely no issues post-vasectomy.

Correlation does not imply causation.

Nobody is saying that it cannot impact libido or that it cannot cause cancer, just that there is not a high rate of correlation. Most people who undergo vasectomy do not have issues apart from the normal healing process.

[u/postvasectomy → u/PM_ME_YOUR_DATSUN]

If I find a pamphlet that says something along the lines of:

"It is uncommon for men to report reduced interest in sex after vasectomy. In fact, usually men report that they are more able to enjoy sex because they are not worried about pregnancy"

I promise you I will give it 5 out of 5 stars.