Thinking About a Vasectomy? Urologists Debunk the Biggest Myths
If you’re considering getting a vasectomy, consider that it’s one of the most effective forms of birth control and it’s a pretty low-risk procedure. Also, after one to two days on the couch, your homework is sex! You need to have three to 20 ejaculations to clear out the remaining sperm. You also need one follow-up appointment with your doctor to make sure the surgery was successful. You’ll be in good company. Approximately half a million men in the U.S. get this procedure each year.
Doctors are busting some common myths that might be preventing you from making an appointment.
Myth: Vasectomies Lower Testosterone Levels
The “snip” has no effect on hormone levels. The 15-30 minute procedure, which is done in a doctor’s office, only cuts the vas deferens (the tubes that carry sperm), but leaves the hormone-producing testicles alone, according ot the Mayo Clinic. You will not experience a drop in sex drive either.
Myth: Men No Longer Ejaculate The Same
You should not notice any change in the amount of semen because only 2 percent of the volume comes from sperm cells, which are now blocked and reabsorbed into your body. Your erections will be unaffected and the same as ever, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Myth : Vasectomies Cause Prostate Cancer
There’s no scientific evidence that vasectomies cause prostate cancer, but this myth persists. The relationship between this procedure and cancer was recently addressed in the Journal of Urology.
“There's been a lot of information in the public press,” said Peter Schlegel, MD, of New York Men's Health Medical in New York City, first author of the JU article, who spoke to Medpage Today. “It is very popular to take something like vasectomy and associate it with a disease condition. Both the vasectomy guideline, as well as the additional data in the JU Forum article make it a lot clearer as to the fact that vasectomy does not cause prostate cancer. It's not associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer.”
“Anybody who has seen a urologist is a little more likely to be screened for prostate cancer, have a [prostate-specific antigen] test, and possibly have a biopsy that possibly detects indolent disease,” he added, “but the decision to have a vasectomy or not does not increase the risk of prostate cancer or any consequences from that disease.”
Dr. Schlegel also served as chair of a panel that updated the American Urological Association Guideline, which also debunked other myths. Vasectomy does not cause cardiovascular or kidney stones.