Does vasectomy pose long-term health risks?
Many studies have looked at the long-term health effects of vasectomy. The evidence is reassuring, suggesting that no significant risks exist. Men who have a vasectomy are no more likely than other men to develop cancer, heart disease, or other health problems. In 1993, a panel assembled by the National Institutes of Health, the Association for Voluntary Surgical Contraception, and the National Cancer Institute reaffirmed the conclusion of most medical experts that vasectomy is a safe and effective means of permanent birth control. The panel advised that physicians continue to offer vasectomy and that all men, vasectomized or not, receive the same regular screening for prostate cancer and other illnesses. Can vasectomy be reversed? In many cases, the cut ends of the vas deferens can be surgically reattached. However, this operation, a vasovasostomy, is expensive and, for a variety of reasons, does not guarantee a return to fertility. Vasectomy should therefore be considered a permanent
