Analysis of claims made by dontfixit.org's front page

This page analyses dontfixit.org's front page.

The theme of the front page is to outline the premise of the book. I.E. that there are serious, undisclosed health problems associated with vasectomy, and he gives an outline of what he claims is the evidence to back up the book's premise. Below we take a look at what is claimed, and the truth behind it.

The page uses the analogy of a 40 year old fire hose bursting when you tie a knot in it, and makes the claim that all men are likely to suffer a blowout. This premise is completely false.

The condition of the vas deferens and/or the epididymus does not deteriorate through age. Older men are no more likely to suffer an epididymal rupture than younger men.
There is no evidence that any rupture of the epididymus or vasectomy site is more likely to happen during ejaculation.
When you have a vasectomy, the epididymus does not blow up like a balloon because of the ongoing production of sperm with nowhere to go. In a typical un-vasectomised man, approximately 50% of the sperm produced never leaves the epididymus anyway. It is broken down and naturally absorbed via membranes and the bloodstream. After a vasectomy, the size of the membrane increases, and the absorption via the bloodstream steps up a gear.
There is no evidence to corroborate the statement that "All vasectomized men develop blowouts".

It's important to note that Chronic testicular pain is not unique to men with vasectomy. It's a common urological complaint. The challenge for doctors is to scientifically cure the problem, and not assume the cause and treatment based on patient self-diagnosis. Therefore dontfixit.org's stance in persuading men to self-diagnose themselves rather than allow the doctor to treat the patient is grossly irresponsible.

Claim

Truth

Ruptures:- It is likely that, in time, all vasectomized men develop blowouts in either the epididymis or efferent ducts. This rupturing can occur spontaneously at any time following vasectomy, and often when the epididymis is under pressure, such as when a man is ejaculating.

Apparently this is attributed to Campbell's Urology. This particular text book is available at a list price of $450. Are you going to pay $450 to check this quote? Did he? If it was true, then Campbell WOULD be quoting from a published study. All published studies are available from the National Library of Medicine. There are NO studies available from the National Library of Medicine online to corroborate this claim. After all, the book he's quoting from comes in at $450 - who is going to pay that to check? There are figures available for congestive epididymitis and spermatic granuloma. The only statistic I've been able to come across that quotes an incidence rate is in Christiansen & Sandlow (2003)², and the figures they in turn quote from (Shapiro & Silber, 1979) don't look at general incidence, but is a study comparing two different vasectomy techniques with no mention of blowouts! This claim is either taken completely out of context, re-written or made up.

Autoimmune responses:- The autoimmune response that follows vasectomy has also been linked to an increase in the incidence of numerous diseases by dozens of studies. These diseases include testicular dysfunction and hormonal imbalances, recurrent infections, various forms of cancer, and other immune system deficiencies.

Er - no. In fact the OPPOSITE is true. Whilst many studies have looked at various potential problems and associations, the mere fact of looking at something doesn't make it a truth. In 2000, Schwingle & Guess published a peer review of literature published between 1965 and 1998.¹ NONE of the conditions opposite are named by this review as being associated with vasectomy.

In three men out of five or more, chronic inflammation leads to the formation of a sperm granuloma at the rupture site, which may need to be removed surgically to alleviate painful symptoms. Other types of cysts often form in the epididymis and/or the scrotum including spermatoceles and hydroceles, which may also require further treatment or lead to other problems.

No mention is made of where the "three out of five or more" is actually quoted from. Whilst it's true that some 15% - 40%¹ of men that have a vasectomy will develop a sperm granuloma, they are small and asymptomatic¹ and only painful in 2%-3% of patients.¹

There isn't any evidence that supports the idea of vasectomy promoting other cysts. Whilst incidence rates have been looked at, merely looking at them doesn't make them true, as in fact they are not.

Pain and Injury:- Problems during the procedure itself often cause damage to testicular blood and nerve supplies, and also commonly cause damage to delicate lymph vessels.

The author quotes no source for the claim of damage to blood and nerve supplies, or lymph vessel damage. Nor is there any evidence to be found in the National Library of medicine to back up this claim.

In surveys that asked patients about their post-vasectomy experience, up to a third of vasectomized men complained of chronic testicular pain.

"In surveys..." is not correct. The author refers to one specific study³. It was a telephone study with 56 men claiming testicular discomfort - not pain. More than half of the men said that the discomfort was "Not troublesome". Only 9 of the 56 bothered to go to the doctor about the problem, and only 1.7% of the study subjects regretted having a vasectomy because of pain.

It has to be said that the results are very contradictory, and show mainly that the study's methodology was consequently seriously flawed. Chronic pain is troublesome - period. You can't have chronic pain that isn't. Also, it's likely that if the pain was troublesome, most men would report it, yet most didn't. Most men with chronic pain would regret the decision, but most didn't. The survey chosen is small scale, and the findings are in sharp contrast to larger studies with better methodology.

When this pain is more severe, doctors will often recommend further surgery, up to and including complete removal of the testicle(s) and spermatic cord(s) to alleviate the pain. Sometimes further surgery works, and sometimes it doesn't.

Oddly enough the claim that you will have your testicles removed as a primary treatment method is simply nonsense. There are no published studies that look into the effectiveness of castration as a cure for post-vasectomy pain syndrome. There are studies into the effectiveness of other surgical treatments though. In most cases the problem resolves itself after conservative treatment with antibiotics and pain killers. Surgical treatments and the success rates are as follows:-

Microsurgical denervation "..results in reliable and reproducible excellent therapeutic success rates of 96% and should be integrated in the management of CTP at an early stage."⁴
Vasectomy reversal "Postoperatively 69% of men became completely pain-free."⁵
Epididymectomy (removal of epididymus). "Of the 16 patients, 14 had excellent initial symptomatic benefit from epididymectomy. At 3-8 years afterward, nine of 10 patients interviewed had a sustained improvement of their scrotal pain."⁶

"Do you care to be a lab rat?"

Here the author claims a whole list of conditions and diseases you wouldn't have got if you hadn't had that vasectomy. He claims that vasectomy is experimental, and also states that "Over 100 million men have unwittingly participated in this experiment".

Hang on! If 100 million men have had a vasectomy, it can hardly be called experimental by any stretch of the imagination. In fact vasectomy is nearly 200 years old. The more astute of us will probably have considered the fact that if there were problems on the scale that the author claims, we would have heard considerably more than we do about these so called problems.

He's got an answer to that one! "Hundreds of medical research articles and several books by numerous doctors over the last three decades have examined the issues of vasectomy and the effects the procedure can have on the body. Unfortunately, much of that information has been well concealed from the public eye."

So in a nutshell, it happens, doctors know about it, have published papers about it and they have all been covered up! Great if you love conspiracy theories, but how likely is this in reality? In fact, you can find pretty well every study published online at the National Library of Medicine. Many of the studies have an abstract, and some have a free full text version. Hardly boarded up in a dusty room out of the way of prying eyes, and guarded by a dragon!

Below is the list of diseases and conditions claimed to be positively associated with vasectomy, and the true status of the claimed association.

Claimed association

Status

Adrenal gland dysfunction

False. No human studies available on the National Library of Medicine site for the search "vasectomy + adrenal gland" that indicate any connection. No mention in ^1,7 or Harvard Medical School review ⁹.

Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries leading to heart disease)

False⁷. This claim is based on some studies into monkeys given a vasectomy and then fed a heart-attack inducing diet. Human studies have found no risk factor.¹⁰

Autoimmune orchitis (degeneration of testicular tissues due to antibody action)

This list is very good at mentioning the same condition several times under different names! Medterms.com defines Orchitis as "Inflammation of the testis. There are many causes of inflammation of the testis including infections, diseases, or injury." It DOES NOT describe it as degeneration of testicular tissues due to antibody action. Schwingle & Guess state that "Infections in the genital tract such as orchitis or STD's increase the risk of autoimmune antibodies." The RCOG⁷ state that Orchitis is one of the few conditions that increases incidence of hospitalisation. Bottom line is that we are allergic to our own sperm, and vasectomy DOES cause swelling. It's possible that the swelling may be due to an immunological reaction on rare occasions. Degeneration of testicular tissues is a false claim, and is not associated with orchitis - a separate disease.

Chronic inflammation including the formation of sperm granulomas

He probably means Orchitis here again. Sperm granuloma's is a separate subject and covered later in the list.

Chronic testicular pain (Post-Vasectomy Pain Syndrome)

Nobody denies that there is a small percentage of men who suffer chronic testicular pain after vasectomy. The RCOG guidelines⁷ state that all men considering vasectomy should be informed of the possibility. However, what the guidelines (unusually) DON'T do is to quote incidence rates. The reason being that the incidence rate is very small, and there is a vast dispute as to what medically constitutes ctp. The purpose of the guidelines is to analyse the evidence and present potential patients with the medical facts. The medical fact is that it does happen, but is rare, and the evidence is individual case reports due to the lack of numbers of men with the condition¹.

Circulatory problems including phlebitis

False. Not mentioned in^{1, 7 ,9}, nor any mention of a connection doing a search for studies at the National Library of Medicine

Congestive and infectious epididymitis

Well, I think we have to separate this into two topics. The term "Infectious epididymitis + vasectomy" is found on Google in dontfixit.org, and quiverfull.com. The same search at the National library of medicine search brings up documents with the words vasectomy, epididymitis and infection in a small number of documents, but the terms are unrelated. Congestive epididymitis is a documented fact. Schwingle & Guess review¹ looks at a number of studies and puts the risk at between 0.4% and 6.1% depending on procedure type and method of occlusion. It points out that it's usually treated with antibiotics and analgesics.

Decreased testicular function including changes in testosterone production

False. "Studies have pursued the question of whether vasectomy changes testicular hormone production and endocrine function. These studies indicate that mean levels of FSH, LH, Testosterone and Estradiol are within the normal ranges post vasectomy"¹ The RCOG⁷ don't even mention it, and Harvard Medical School⁹ points out that "testosterone levels remain higher for a longer period in men who have had a vasectomy."

Diabetes

False. Not mentioned by^1,7,9. The World Health Organisation¹¹ only mentions that sufferers of diabetes may require extra precautions such as having the procedure done in hospital. HJ Roberts, who has a string of books warning about the dangers of vasectomy (who dontfixit.org's webmaster regards as an authoritative source) doesn't mention that vasectomy causes diabetes - merely that in his opinion men who suffer from diabetes may have more problems post vasectomy¹² - a claim not borne out by any research.

Erectile dysfunction/impotence

This is a popular theme of dontfixit.org and the religious anti-vas brigades. However, it represents a distortion of the truth. Harvard Medical School⁹ has the best explanation of this condition in relationship to vasectomy under the heading "Negative Psychological Effects":- "A small percentage of couples experience serious difficulties with the adjustment. Their emotional distress most often manifests itself in sexual dysfunction, such as impotence, premature ejaculation, or painful intercourse. In such cases, however, the vasectomy is probably the catalyst but not the cause of such extreme reactions. Studies have indicated that men who experience impotence after vasectomy are more likely to have female partners who are unable to accept the operation.".

Gangrene of the scrotum and other serious infections

False. Gangrene is not an infection - it's the decaying of dead tissue. This claim is based purely on the fact there is a study that documents two cases of Fourniere's gangrene in Malawi, east Africa.¹³

Generalized lymph node enlargement

False. Not mentioned by^1,7,9. There are some studies into immune responses in rats whereby some enlargement was noted, but humans studies have not repeated this with the exception of individual case histories.

Hypoglycemia

False. The only reference to this in National Library of medicine is one article published in a 1968 journal by HJ Roberts (see Diabetes above).

Life-long autoimmune (allergic) responses

Whilst it's true that vasectomy raises the detectable level of antisperm antibodies in some men, the only issue this may cause is the possibility that vasectomy reversal (whilst restoring sperm flow) may not produce offspring in a limited number of cases.¹ "Increases in circulating immune complexes (CICs) occur after vasectomy, but these progressively disappear after the third month postsurgery"¹

Liver dysfunction

False. Both human and animal studies confirm that vasectomy has no effect on liver function. Nor is it mentioned by^{1, 7, 9 & 11}.

Loss of libido

The list repeats itself yet again! See Erectile dysfunction/impotence above.

Lung cancer

False. Not mentioned by^{7, 9 & 11}. Schwingle & Guess¹ point to one contradictory study that found men with vasectomy live longer than unvasectomised men, and points to an apparent rise in the rate of lung cancer in the cohort that it felt was due to chance as this finding has not been repeated elsewhere.

Lupus

False. The Lupus foundation of America describes Lupus as "A chronic inflammatory disease that can affect various parts of the body, especially the skin, joints, blood, and kidneys." They do not list vasectomy as a possible risk factor at all, nor are there any documents whatsoever in the National Library of medicine that indicate any research has even been done into a possible link.

Migraine and other related headaches

False. Not mentioned by^{1, 7, 9 & 11}. Nor are there any studies available from the National Library of medicine that indicate an potential link.

Multiple myeloma

False. The website www.multiplemyeloma.org defines the condition as "a cancer of the plasma cell. An incurable but treatable disease.". No mention of vasectomy being associated with it. Not mentioned by^{1, 7, 9 & 11}. Nor are there any studies available from the National Library of medicine that indicate a potential link.

Multiple sclerosis

False. Not mentioned by^{1, 7, 9 & 11}. There is only one study¹⁴ listed by the National Library of medicine, and that categorically states that vasectomized men are not likely candidates for Multiple Sclerosis.

Narcolepsy

False. Not mentioned by^{1, 7, 9 & 11}. No studies whatsoever found at the National Library of medicine.

Neuropathy (nerve pain and damage)

Nerve damage is a possibility in any surgery. However, it's not common. Harvard Medical School⁹ in discussing the causes of chronic pain mention trapped nerves as a possibility. Christiansen & Sandlow² also mention trapped nerves as a possible cause for CTP, and also state that "In patients with a history of spermatic cord manipulation such as inguinal hernia repair, the possibility of nerve injury is increased."

Non-Hodgkins lymphoma

False. Cancer Research UK, nor any other cancer organisations quotes vasectomy as a cause of NHL. Nor are there any studies at the National Library of Medicine to suggest there is a possibility of a link.

Personality disturbances

Yet again the list repeats itself. Some men do suffer a negative psychological reaction to vasectomy. I guess this fact is what he refers to here. This factor is not unknown, and a few studies over the years have found that this is very minimal in men who don't make the decision under pressure, don't make a rushed decision, do the research so they know what they are getting into, and are in agreement with their partners on the issue of vasectomy. Also, marital difficulties can lead to dissatisfaction with vasectomy.

Prostate cancer

False.^1,7,8 The World Health Authority has convened research into this question, and have long since discarded the idea there is a risk. Also, the major cancer organisations such as Cancer Society of America, Cancer Research UK do not consider vasectomy linked to prostate cancer risk or incidence. "Overall, the weight of the evidence suggests that there is no association between vasectomy and prostate cancer."¹ Click here for a well researched article about the prostate cancer and vasectomy scare.

Prostatitis

False. Wikipedia says that "Prostatitis is any form of inflammation of the prostate gland. Prostatitis may account for up to 25 percent of all office visits by young and middle-age men for complaints involving the genital and urinary systems." The leading website on prostatitis, prostatitis.org does not list vasectomy as a cause of prostatitis, but has a forum page whereby some posters make this claim.

Pulmonary embolism

False. "Apart from 1 study in primates, there is no evidence that vasectomy should be considered either indicated or contraindicated for coronary patients".¹⁵ see Atherosclerosis above.

Rheumatoid arthritis

False. Not mentioned by^{1, 7, 9 & 11}. No studies found at the National Library of medicine to indicate a connection.

Scrotal and epididymal cyst formation including Spermatocele and Hydrocele cysts

False. There isn't any evidence that vasectomy causes these type of cysts to develop^{1, 7, 9 & 11}. However, there are studies at the National Library of Medicine that look at the dangers of puncturing pre-existing cysts during the procedure.

Staph infections including infections of the heart valves

False. Not mentioned by^{1, 7, 9 & 11}. No studies found at the National Library of medicine to indicate a connection.

Testicular atrophy (shrinking of the testicles)

This one is a favourite argument of the anti-vas brigade:- "Have a vasectomy and your balls shrink". Obviously it's false. For the testicles to atrophy, the blood supply would need to be cut. Clearly that doesn't happen except in cases of severely bad surgery. There are two studies by the same team at the Department of Morphology, School of Medicine, University of Zaragoza, Spain that indicate there are some morphological changes post vasectomy at the cellular level, but your balls certainly do not shrink.

Testicular cancer

False ^1,7. As with prostate cancer, the organisations that know about cancer such as Cancer Research UK and the equivalent bodies in the US and the rest of the word can find no connection between testicular cancer and vasectomy. "The record linkage study by Moller et al. (97) and the case control study by the United Kingdom Group (119), the largest studies to date, report no elevated risk among men with vasectomy. These studies offer the most convincing evidence that vasectomy is not likely to induce or accelerate testicular tumors. In summary, testicular cancer rates are not increased among men with vasectomy."¹

Urolithiasis (kidney stones)

This is mentioned by both Harvard Medical school⁹ and the RCOG⁷. The apparent increase in incidence rate is very low. Harvard suggest that men simply drink plenty of fluids, (should do anyway) and RCOG says whilst there are some studies that indicate an increased incidence "there are no recognised risk factors for urolithiasis that can be attributed to vasectomy."

Vasitis nodosa (chronic inflammation of the vas deferens)

See sperm granuloma. According to Christiansen & Sandlow² this is the first sign in developing a sperm granuloma. The same study also warns that "however, they have been demonstrated in men with primary infertility".

And finally - the sermon

Although the purpose of this website is to examine claims made by the book's author, and not any personal opinion, it's difficult to avoid the religious undertones of the last paragraph on the front page of the site. The biggest opponents of vasectomy, and the biggest promoter of falsehoods of the so-called health risks of vasectomy on the web are religious organisations who oppose sterlization. The technique is not to justify their stance by religious argument, but to tell you about the "Undisclosed health risks" as they know that whilst preaching is a lost argument with most people, scaring the crap out of people might work in some cases. These organisations usually promote what is known as "Natural family planning" - not using birth control at all.

So the last paragraph indicates that the book's author may well be motivated in part by his religious views:- "The bottom line is that it is much better and easier to make minor adaptations in your sexual practices than it is to alter your body surgically. Natural Family Planning (see the web sites at www.canfp.org or www.ccli.org for more info) and/or condoms and other forms of barrier-type contraceptives are something we all need to become more comfortable with and proficient at using, even in long-term, monogamous relationships. Contraception and population control are important issues on many levels. But preserving the health of the living is an issue that needs to take precedence in this situation."

canfp.org claims to be non-sectarian, but in promoting natural family planning does tend to mention spirituality on a regular basis. ccli.org is an out-and-out 100% catholic site with a picture of Pope John-Paul II on the front page.

"Telling the truth about the consequences of vasectomy and other forms of surgical sterilization are of critical importance to the individual in the decision making process about contraceptive choices".

Make your own mind up about if the site has a religious message or not. I'd suggest that although the focus of the book and site claims to be to giving men information about health risks, religious motivation is in there somewhere, along with the desire to profit from misery by selling both of his books via the site.

Legal Disclaimer:- This site is NOT a personal attack on Kevin Hauber, or any other individual that posts to dontfixit.org, or contributes to Kevin Hauber's books and should not be misconstrued as such. Nor should this site be considered to be questioning the character, morals, motives or integrity of Kevin Hauber or any other individual. The site exists to legitimately question the accuracy and authenticity of quotations attributed to other individuals, and the context in which such quotation is used by Kevin Hauber and dontfixit.org. It also will legitimately question the accuracy of statements made by dontfixit.org and Kevin Hauber. This site does not have a book to sell, we are not supported by sponsorship from the medical profession and we are not supported by advertising.

Claim	Truth
Ruptures:- It is likely that, in time, all vasectomized men develop blowouts in either the epididymis or efferent ducts. This rupturing can occur spontaneously at any time following vasectomy, and often when the epididymis is under pressure, such as when a man is ejaculating.	Apparently this is attributed to Campbell's Urology. This particular text book is available at a list price of $450. Are you going to pay $450 to check this quote? Did he? If it was true, then Campbell WOULD be quoting from a published study. All published studies are available from the National Library of Medicine. There are NO studies available from the National Library of Medicine online to corroborate this claim. After all, the book he's quoting from comes in at $450 - who is going to pay that to check? There are figures available for congestive epididymitis and spermatic granuloma. The only statistic I've been able to come across that quotes an incidence rate is in Christiansen & Sandlow (2003)², and the figures they in turn quote from (Shapiro & Silber, 1979) don't look at general incidence, but is a study comparing two different vasectomy techniques with no mention of blowouts! This claim is either taken completely out of context, re-written or made up.
Autoimmune responses:- The autoimmune response that follows vasectomy has also been linked to an increase in the incidence of numerous diseases by dozens of studies. These diseases include testicular dysfunction and hormonal imbalances, recurrent infections, various forms of cancer, and other immune system deficiencies.	Er - no. In fact the OPPOSITE is true. Whilst many studies have looked at various potential problems and associations, the mere fact of looking at something doesn't make it a truth. In 2000, Schwingle & Guess published a peer review of literature published between 1965 and 1998.¹ NONE of the conditions opposite are named by this review as being associated with vasectomy.
In three men out of five or more, chronic inflammation leads to the formation of a sperm granuloma at the rupture site, which may need to be removed surgically to alleviate painful symptoms. Other types of cysts often form in the epididymis and/or the scrotum including spermatoceles and hydroceles, which may also require further treatment or lead to other problems.	No mention is made of where the "three out of five or more" is actually quoted from. Whilst it's true that some 15% - 40%¹ of men that have a vasectomy will develop a sperm granuloma, they are small and asymptomatic¹ and only painful in 2%-3% of patients.¹ There isn't any evidence that supports the idea of vasectomy promoting other cysts. Whilst incidence rates have been looked at, merely looking at them doesn't make them true, as in fact they are not.
Pain and Injury:- Problems during the procedure itself often cause damage to testicular blood and nerve supplies, and also commonly cause damage to delicate lymph vessels.	The author quotes no source for the claim of damage to blood and nerve supplies, or lymph vessel damage. Nor is there any evidence to be found in the National Library of medicine to back up this claim.
In surveys that asked patients about their post-vasectomy experience, up to a third of vasectomized men complained of chronic testicular pain.	"In surveys..." is not correct. The author refers to one specific study³. It was a telephone study with 56 men claiming testicular discomfort - not pain. More than half of the men said that the discomfort was "Not troublesome". Only 9 of the 56 bothered to go to the doctor about the problem, and only 1.7% of the study subjects regretted having a vasectomy because of pain. It has to be said that the results are very contradictory, and show mainly that the study's methodology was consequently seriously flawed. Chronic pain is troublesome - period. You can't have chronic pain that isn't. Also, it's likely that if the pain was troublesome, most men would report it, yet most didn't. Most men with chronic pain would regret the decision, but most didn't. The survey chosen is small scale, and the findings are in sharp contrast to larger studies with better methodology.
When this pain is more severe, doctors will often recommend further surgery, up to and including complete removal of the testicle(s) and spermatic cord(s) to alleviate the pain. Sometimes further surgery works, and sometimes it doesn't.	Oddly enough the claim that you will have your testicles removed as a primary treatment method is simply nonsense. There are no published studies that look into the effectiveness of castration as a cure for post-vasectomy pain syndrome. There are studies into the effectiveness of other surgical treatments though. In most cases the problem resolves itself after conservative treatment with antibiotics and pain killers. Surgical treatments and the success rates are as follows:- Microsurgical denervation "..results in reliable and reproducible excellent therapeutic success rates of 96% and should be integrated in the management of CTP at an early stage."⁴ Vasectomy reversal "Postoperatively 69% of men became completely pain-free."⁵ Epididymectomy (removal of epididymus). "Of the 16 patients, 14 had excellent initial symptomatic benefit from epididymectomy. At 3-8 years afterward, nine of 10 patients interviewed had a sustained improvement of their scrotal pain."⁶

This page analyses dontfixit.org's front page.

The page uses the analogy of a 40 year old fire hose bursting when you tie a knot in it, and makes the claim that all men are likely to suffer a blowout. This premise is completely false.

Claim

Truth

Ruptures:- It is likely that, in time, all vasectomized men develop blowouts in either the epididymis or efferent ducts. This rupturing can occur spontaneously at any time following vasectomy, and often when the epididymis is under pressure, such as when a man is ejaculating.

No mention is made of where the "three out of five or more" is actually quoted from. Whilst it's true that some 15% - 40%1 of men that have a vasectomy will develop a sperm granuloma, they are small and asymptomatic1 and only painful in 2%-3% of patients.1

There isn't any evidence that supports the idea of vasectomy promoting other cysts. Whilst incidence rates have been looked at, merely looking at them doesn't make them true, as in fact they are not.

Pain and Injury:- Problems during the procedure itself often cause damage to testicular blood and nerve supplies, and also commonly cause damage to delicate lymph vessels.

The author quotes no source for the claim of damage to blood and nerve supplies, or lymph vessel damage. Nor is there any evidence to be found in the National Library of medicine to back up this claim.

In surveys that asked patients about their post-vasectomy experience, up to a third of vasectomized men complained of chronic testicular pain.

When this pain is more severe, doctors will often recommend further surgery, up to and including complete removal of the testicle(s) and spermatic cord(s) to alleviate the pain. Sometimes further surgery works, and sometimes it doesn't.

"Do you care to be a lab rat?"

Here the author claims a whole list of conditions and diseases you wouldn't have got if you hadn't had that vasectomy. He claims that vasectomy is experimental, and also states that "Over 100 million men have unwittingly participated in this experiment".

Below is the list of diseases and conditions claimed to be positively associated with vasectomy, and the true status of the claimed association.

Claimed association

Status

Adrenal gland dysfunction

False. No human studies available on the National Library of Medicine site for the search "vasectomy + adrenal gland" that indicate any connection. No mention in 1,7 or Harvard Medical School review 9.

Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries leading to heart disease)

False7. This claim is based on some studies into monkeys given a vasectomy and then fed a heart-attack inducing diet. Human studies have found no risk factor.10

Autoimmune orchitis (degeneration of testicular tissues due to antibody action)

Chronic inflammation including the formation of sperm granulomas

He probably means Orchitis here again. Sperm granuloma's is a separate subject and covered later in the list.

Chronic testicular pain (Post-Vasectomy Pain Syndrome)

Circulatory problems including phlebitis

False. Not mentioned in1, 7 ,9, nor any mention of a connection doing a search for studies at the National Library of Medicine

Congestive and infectious epididymitis

Decreased testicular function including changes in testosterone production

Diabetes

Erectile dysfunction/impotence

Gangrene of the scrotum and other serious infections

False. Gangrene is not an infection - it's the decaying of dead tissue. This claim is based purely on the fact there is a study that documents two cases of Fourniere's gangrene in Malawi, east Africa.13

Generalized lymph node enlargement

False. Not mentioned by1,7,9. There are some studies into immune responses in rats whereby some enlargement was noted, but humans studies have not repeated this with the exception of individual case histories.

Hypoglycemia

False. The only reference to this in National Library of medicine is one article published in a 1968 journal by HJ Roberts (see Diabetes above).

Life-long autoimmune (allergic) responses

Liver dysfunction

False. Both human and animal studies confirm that vasectomy has no effect on liver function. Nor is it mentioned by1, 7, 9 & 11.

Loss of libido

The list repeats itself yet again! See Erectile dysfunction/impotence above.

Lung cancer

Lupus

Migraine and other related headaches

False. Not mentioned by1, 7, 9 & 11. Nor are there any studies available from the National Library of medicine that indicate an potential link.

Multiple myeloma

Multiple sclerosis

False. Not mentioned by1, 7, 9 & 11. There is only one study14 listed by the National Library of medicine, and that categorically states that vasectomized men are not likely candidates for Multiple Sclerosis.

Narcolepsy

False. Not mentioned by1, 7, 9 & 11. No studies whatsoever found at the National Library of medicine.

Neuropathy (nerve pain and damage)

Non-Hodgkins lymphoma

False. Cancer Research UK, nor any other cancer organisations quotes vasectomy as a cause of NHL. Nor are there any studies at the National Library of Medicine to suggest there is a possibility of a link.

Personality disturbances

Prostate cancer

Prostatitis

Pulmonary embolism

False. "Apart from 1 study in primates, there is no evidence that vasectomy should be considered either indicated or contraindicated for coronary patients".15 see Atherosclerosis above.

Rheumatoid arthritis

False. Not mentioned by1, 7, 9 & 11. No studies found at the National Library of medicine to indicate a connection.

Scrotal and epididymal cyst formation including Spermatocele and Hydrocele cysts

False. There isn't any evidence that vasectomy causes these type of cysts to develop1, 7, 9 & 11. However, there are studies at the National Library of Medicine that look at the dangers of puncturing pre-existing cysts during the procedure.

Staph infections including infections of the heart valves

False. Not mentioned by1, 7, 9 & 11. No studies found at the National Library of medicine to indicate a connection.

Testicular atrophy (shrinking of the testicles)

Testicular cancer

Urolithiasis (kidney stones)

Vasitis nodosa (chronic inflammation of the vas deferens)

See sperm granuloma. According to Christiansen & Sandlow2 this is the first sign in developing a sperm granuloma. The same study also warns that "however, they have been demonstrated in men with primary infertility".

And finally - the sermon

canfp.org claims to be non-sectarian, but in promoting natural family planning does tend to mention spirituality on a regular basis. ccli.org is an out-and-out 100% catholic site with a picture of Pope John-Paul II on the front page.

"Telling the truth about the consequences of vasectomy and other forms of surgical sterilization are of critical importance to the individual in the decision making process about contraceptive choices".

<-- Home Page | Let's cut to the chase -->

Sources

1 Safety & effectiveness of vasectomy

2 Testicular Pain Following Vasectomy: A Review of Postvasectomy Pain Syndrome. Christiansen & Sandlow, Journal of Andrology, Vol. 24, No. 3, May/June 2003.

3 Chronic testicular pain following vasectomy McMahon AJ, Buckley J, Taylor A, Lloyd SN, Deane RF, Kirk D. Br J Urol. 1992 Feb;69(2):188-91.

4 Management of chronic testalgia by microsurgical testicular denervation. Heidenreich A, Olbert P, Engelmann UH. Eur Urol. 2002 Apr;41(4):392-7.

5 Vasectomy reversal for the post-vasectomy pain syndrome: a clinical and histological evaluation. Nangia AK, Myles JL, Thomas AJ JR. J Urol. 2000 Dec;164(6):1939-42.

6 Epididymectomy is an effective treatment for scrotal pain after vasectomy West AF, Leung HY, Powell PH. BJU Int. 2000 Jun;85(9):1097-9.

No mention is made of where the "three out of five or more" is actually quoted from. Whilst it's true that some 15% - 40%¹ of men that have a vasectomy will develop a sperm granuloma, they are small and asymptomatic¹ and only painful in 2%-3% of patients.¹

False. No human studies available on the National Library of Medicine site for the search "vasectomy + adrenal gland" that indicate any connection. No mention in ^1,7 or Harvard Medical School review ⁹.

False⁷. This claim is based on some studies into monkeys given a vasectomy and then fed a heart-attack inducing diet. Human studies have found no risk factor.¹⁰

False. Not mentioned in^{1, 7 ,9}, nor any mention of a connection doing a search for studies at the National Library of Medicine

False. Gangrene is not an infection - it's the decaying of dead tissue. This claim is based purely on the fact there is a study that documents two cases of Fourniere's gangrene in Malawi, east Africa.¹³

False. Not mentioned by^1,7,9. There are some studies into immune responses in rats whereby some enlargement was noted, but humans studies have not repeated this with the exception of individual case histories.

False. Both human and animal studies confirm that vasectomy has no effect on liver function. Nor is it mentioned by^{1, 7, 9 & 11}.

False. Not mentioned by^{1, 7, 9 & 11}. Nor are there any studies available from the National Library of medicine that indicate an potential link.

False. Not mentioned by^{1, 7, 9 & 11}. There is only one study¹⁴ listed by the National Library of medicine, and that categorically states that vasectomized men are not likely candidates for Multiple Sclerosis.

False. Not mentioned by^{1, 7, 9 & 11}. No studies whatsoever found at the National Library of medicine.

False. "Apart from 1 study in primates, there is no evidence that vasectomy should be considered either indicated or contraindicated for coronary patients".¹⁵ see Atherosclerosis above.

False. Not mentioned by^{1, 7, 9 & 11}. No studies found at the National Library of medicine to indicate a connection.

False. There isn't any evidence that vasectomy causes these type of cysts to develop^{1, 7, 9 & 11}. However, there are studies at the National Library of Medicine that look at the dangers of puncturing pre-existing cysts during the procedure.

False. Not mentioned by^{1, 7, 9 & 11}. No studies found at the National Library of medicine to indicate a connection.

See sperm granuloma. According to Christiansen & Sandlow² this is the first sign in developing a sperm granuloma. The same study also warns that "however, they have been demonstrated in men with primary infertility".