I'm excited about getting a vasectomy, but a friend says it might increase the danger of prostate cancer. Is it true?
Kevin R. Loughlin, MD, MBA, director of urologic research at Brigham and Women's Hospital, says:
In fact, many studies since 1993 have failed to search out a link between vasectomy and prostate cancer, and scientists have been unable to discover a biological reason why vasectomy may increase a person's risk of cancer. Is. Currently, most authorities, including the National Cancer Institute and the American Urological Association, agree that vasectomy doesn't increase the danger of prostate cancer.
You should still consider your options. A sterilization is not going to make you capable of father children (see example below). Although vasectomy could be reversed, the procedure is pricey and never at all times successful in restoring fertility. If you have got even the slightest doubt about eliminating your probabilities of becoming a father in the longer term, I might encourage you to stop the sterilization and use one other type of contraception.
A sterilization
During a vasectomy, a health care provider will cut the vas deferens, the tube that carries semen from the epididymis to the seminal vesicles, through a small incision within the scrotum. It prevents sperm from entering the semen and prevents pregnancy. The testicles proceed to provide sperm, however the sperm is absorbed by the body. Semen remains to be ejaculate, but it surely doesn't contain sperm. |
Originally published in June 2009; Last reviewed on April 7, 2011.