Post-vasectomy depression: a case report and literature review

Review of Vasectomy Complications and Safety Concerns

Vasectomy is a simple, safe, effective, and economical method used worldwide for long-term male contraception. As a surgical operation, it has short-term and long-term complications such as hematoma formation, infection, sterilization failure, sperm granulomas, short-term postoperative pain (nodal pain, scrotal pain, and ejaculation pain), and chronic pain syndrome. Whether it increases the risk of autoimmune disease, cardiovascular disease, testicular cancer, or prostate cancer is still controversial. Changes in plasma concentrations of luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and testosterone after vasectomy have also been studied, as well as the relation between vasectomy and sexual function. Sperm quality decreases very slowly after vasectomy, and vasovasostomy and intracytoplasmic sperm injection could help a couple achieve a pregnancy if they change their minds at any point. We include a follow-up strategy and suggestions for follow-up care at the end of this review.

Long-term safety, health and mental status in men with vasectomy

Vasectomy is an efficient male contraceptive method, but the long-term effects of this technology in a large population are unclear. To investigate the influence of vasectomy on long-term health effects, we recruited 485 men with a vasectomy and 1940 men without vasectomy in China. After obtaining basic information from the Aging Males’ Symptoms (AMS) scale and other questionnaires, peripheral blood was drawn to assess the hormone levels, prostate specific antigen (PSA) and blood biochemistry. Using multiple linear regression analysis, these factors had no relationship with vasectomy except for four factors including the Somatic score (0.31, 0.02 and 0.61) in AMS, SF-36 score (−18.8, −32.00 and −5.60), “Role emotional” (−6.28, −10.34 and −2.22) and “Mental health” (−1.55, −3.08 and −0.02). A stratified analysis showed that with increased age, smoking and drinking, residence in township or a higher level of education, the mental health of men was worse. Vasectomy had no long-term effect on the level of sexual hormones in men, and it did not increase the level of PSA. The impact of the vasectomy on quality of life in men were mainly reflected in psychological effects, which suggests that men with vasectomy groups many benefit from professional psychological counseling.

Optimizing outcomes in vasectomy: how to ensure sterility and prevent complications

Vasectomy provides a long-term effective sterilization for men and is performed on nearly 500,000 men annually in the United States. Improvements in technique have led to a decreased failure rate and fewer complications, although significant variations in technique exist. Use of cautery occlusion with or without fascial interposition appears to have the least failures. A no-scalpel approach lowers risk of hematoma formation, infection and bleeding post-operatively. A patient can be considered sterile when azoospermia is achieved or the semen analysis shows less than 100,000 non-motile sperm per milliliter. Incorporating these principles may allow the physician to optimize outcomes in vasectomy.