VASECTOMY EFFECTS
ANCHOR LEAD: THERE ARE NO NEGATIVE HEALTH EFFECTS OF VASECTOMY, ELIZABETH TRACEY REPORTS
Can a vasectomy cause a man to develop autoimmune diseases later in his lifetime? Not according to a large British study published recently, dispelling a persistent myth regarding the procedure. Bud Burnett, professor of urology at Johns Hopkins, comments.
BURNETT: This is a large population of men, almost 24,000, compared to a reference population of about 146,000. Turns out that after a 13 year follow up, really a long term follow up, there was no association of risk with common diseases you think of, asthma, diabetes, ankylosing spondylitis, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, or even testicular atrophy. So really these diseases we think may have immune related associations, really no associations. :30
Burnett says vasectomy remains one of the most effective means of birth control for men and they can feel confident that no relationship between vasectomy and autoimmune diseases exists. I’m Elizabeth Tracey reporting.
