Does Having a Vasectomy Affect Prostate Cancer Risk?

A vasectomy is a minor day surgery carried out as a form of long-term birth control in males to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Over 500,000 men in the US undergo the procedure each year. Compared to the surgery females undergo for permanent birth control, vasectomies pose much fewer risks and have a lower risk of failure.

During a vasectomy, the tubes that carry sperm (also known as the vas deferens) are either cut or blocked to prevent the release of sperm into the semen. The procedure is quite fast, and can be done under local anesthesia. A small incision will be made in the skin on each side of the scrotum. There may be some discomfort during the anesthetic injection, and some pain for a few days as you recover, but you should not feel any feel pain during the procedure itself

A vasectomy can cost up to $1,000 USD on average. However, as a long-term intervention, it can help you to save money in the long run by reducing money spent on other contraceptive methods (e.g. regular condom use, spermicides or oral contraceptives), should you use them frequently. In comparison, permanent female birth control by tubal ligation can cost up to $6,000 USD.

While the risk of complications remains low, there are some risks to undergoing the procedure. You may face the following:

• Pain in the scrotum
• Sperm granulomas (lumps that may occur in the sperm ducts)
• Bad bruising (2% chance)
• Infections (3–4% chance)

Before undergoing a vasectomy, you should be confident about your decision not to have children. However, if you do decide to conceive again after your procedure, a vasectomy reversal is possible, with success rates of up to 90 to 95%. While the chances of it being permanent are low, a small risk still remains.

Currently, the American Urological Association doesn’t highlight a risk of prostate cancer to patients considering vasectomy. Despite this, there have been frequent debates surrounding the association between vasectomy and prostate cancer, with conflicting results from different studies over the years. In Denmark, over 2.1 million men who underwent vasectomy were studied, and were found to have a 15% higher risk of prostate cancer. However, other studies have still not found any connection.

Research in this area may still face some confounding effects, which make it more difficult to ascertain the association between vasectomies and cancer risk. For example, those who undertake vasectomies are also more likely to go for regular screenings, increasing the likelihood of a higher rate of prostate cancer diagnosis. The debate on whether vasectomies increase the risk of prostate cancer will likely continue before a clearer consensus can be reached.