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From the last week Overturning a decision of the Supreme Court Roe v. Wade, men across the country are rushing to get vasectomies. But common myths about vasectomies continue to circulate on social media, including that they are easily reversible and are a preventative measure until the patient is ready to have a child.
In this flood of misinformation, some may wonder what is true about vasectomies. The Washington Post spoke to doctors about vasectomies and what to believe:
1. You should treat a vasectomy as a permanent procedure.
Despite the common misconception floating around on social media that vasectomies are easily reversible, urologists recommend that patients treat vasectomies as permanent procedures.
“Although reversals are possible, they are not necessarily effective all the time,” said Esgar Guarin, an Iowa doctor who specializes in vasectomies. “This is why we insist that vasectomy is a permanent contraceptive solution. It’s not like we turn it on and off.
The misinformation includes viral tweets and Instagram posts claiming vasectomies are easily reversible, as well as a meme from the popular TV show The Office in which the character Michael Scott, played by actor Steve Carell, says he’s had three vasectomies .
“It’s a very famous joke — ‘click-click, click-click,’ like it’s that easy,” said Yotam Ofir, an assistant professor of communication at the University at Buffalo who specializes in understanding health misinformation. “Misinformation about vasectomies is widespread, but again, it’s not the same as misinformation about abortions, because you still have to go through a doctor for a vasectomy,” he said. Ofir added that unlike abortion, there is no danger of a person who is not professionally trained performing a vasectomy on himself.
Men are rushing to get vasectomies after Roe
Guarin acknowledged that a vasectomy reversal is usually easier than a tubal ligation reversal — a procedure to close a person’s fallopian tubes — but said “that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily easy.”
Vasectomy specialists said the success rate of a reversal depends on a variety of factors, including how long ago a person had the procedure and their partner’s fertility.
“The likelihood of reversal therapy being successful in someone who has had a vasectomy for 25 years is much less than the likelihood of reversal therapy being successful in someone who has had a vasectomy for three years,” said Doug Stein, a Florida urologist.
Reversals also take longer than vasectomy and are more expensive, said John Currington, Stein’s associate. After all, the procedure is not a preventive measure for people who are not yet ready to have children, but may want them in the future.
“If you think you can reverse a vasectomy, then you’re not a candidate for a vasectomy,” said Meera Shah, a family medicine physician and chief medical officer at Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic, which offers reproductive health care at several health centers in New York.
2. A vasectomy will not reduce sexual activity.
Some doctors report that a common concern among patients is the fear that a vasectomy will negatively affect sexual function.
“I think this myth is just based on a misunderstanding of anatomy,” Currington said. “A vasectomy is just a small procedure that cuts the tubes that carry the sperm, but the sperm is made in the prostate and seminal vesicles, which are about two inches north of where we do the procedure. So basically there is no way a vasectomy causes a change in sexual performance.
Philip Wertman, a California fertility doctor, stressed that contrary to myth, a person’s sex drive is also unlikely to be negatively affected by a vasectomy.
3. After a vasectomy, you should still use a condom or other contraceptives until you get permission from your doctor.
Several vasectomy patients believe that they can immediately stop using other contraceptives after the procedure.
“Men are under the false assumption that as soon as they get a vasectomy, they’re sterile,” said Mark Goldstein, director of the Center for Male Reproductive Medicine and Microsurgery at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York.
Goldstein emphasized that it usually takes about six weeks to ensure that the sperm is no longer alive in the vas deferens, which must be documented by a sperm test. But the process of getting the sperm washed out can take up to three months for some patients, Wertman said.
“The use of contraception during this period is very important,” he said.
4. Recent studies cannot confirm a consistent link between vasectomies and prostate cancer.
A 1993 study claimed a link between vasectomy and an increased risk of prostate cancer. But since then, Stein stressed, there have been several published studies with no consistent results regarding the link between the procedure and cancer.
“There is no consistent evidence that vasectomy and prostate cancer are in any way related,” he said.
Men across America are getting vasectomies ‘as an act of love’
5. Most people who have had a vasectomy can still conceive.
When a draft opinion of the Supreme Court of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Org expired in May, Ashley Winter took to Twitter to debunk common myths about vasectomies. Winter, an Oregon urologist, noted that while vasectomies are not easily reversible, most people who have them can still conceive.
Vasectomies are considered a PERMANENT form of contraception. Although a reversal vasectomy (called a vasovasostomy or “VV”) can be performed, it is often expensive and not always effective. Also, the number of surgeons who perform this surgery is VERY LIMITED.
— Dr. Ashley Winter || Urologist (@AshleyGWinter) May 9, 2022
Patients can freeze their sperm for use in procedures including intrauterine insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF). But there are concerns that the IVF procedure could become more complicated and expensive after Dobbs answer.
“I always strongly recommend that they freeze the sperm before the vasectomy and freeze at least two or three specimens and split them between two or three different sperm banks,” Goldstein said.
Overturning Roe could make IVF more complicated and expensive
A vasectomy reversal is another option, although the efficacy of the procedure varies and not all vasectomy surgeons are experienced in reversals either, Shah said. Stein agreed: “Until vasectomy reversals are 100 percent successful, we can’t call vasectomy reversible procedures the same way we can call other contraceptive options reversible.”
As myths about vasectomy continue to circulate on the Internet, Ophir, the health misinformation expert, encourages prospective vasectomy patients to consult a medical professional.
“You’re not going to get the best information from Reddit or from Twitter,” he said. “People should talk to their doctors and read the official websites of public health organizations.”
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