Abstract
Vasectomy, a permanent method of preventing the release of sperm, has been widely used as effective birth control, with millions of men undergoing the procedure worldwide each year. Although vasectomy is effective and relatively simple, it is still a subject that receives considerable scrutiny, especially regarding any health effects. Indeed, the relationship between vasectomy and health risks has been a controversial topic. This review includes the examination of the evidence linking vasectomy to oncologic sequelae (i.e. prostate and testicular cancer). In addition, a review of the literature linking vasectomy to sexual dysfunction, cardiovascular disease, primary progressive aphasia/frontotemporal dementia, anti-sperm antibodies, and reproductive hormone changes is also presented. Overall, vasectomy appears safe with no convincing evidence for long term health risks.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $21.58 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on SpringerLink
- Instant access to the full article PDF.
USD 39.95
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout


Similar content being viewed by others
References
Sharp H. Rendering Sterile of Confirmed Criminals and Mental Defectives. Proceedings of the Annual Congress of the National Prison Association. 1907:177–85.
Jacobstein R, Radloff S, Khan F, Mimno K, Pal M, Snell J, et al. Down but not out: vasectomy is faring poorly almost everywhere—we can do better to make it a true method option. Glob Health: Sci Pract. 2023;11:e2200369.
Daniels K, Abma JC. Contraceptive Methods Women Have Ever Used: United States, 2015–2019. National Center for Health Statistics; 2023.
Eisenberg ML, Lipshultz LI. Estimating the number of vasectomies performed annually in the United States: data from the National Survey of Family Growth. J Urol. 2010;184:2068–72.
Ostrowski KA, Holt SK, Haynes B, Davies BJ, Fuchs EF, Walsh TJ. Evaluation of vasectomy trends in the United States. Urology. 2018;118:76–9.
Bole R, Lundy SD, Pei E, Bajic P, Parekh N, Vij SC. Rising vasectomy volume following reversal of federal protections for abortion rights in the United States. Int J Impot Res. 2024;36:265–8.
Hendrix NW, Chauhan SP, Morrison JC. Sterilization and its consequences. Obstetrical Gynecol Surv. 1999;54:766.
Cook LA, Van Vliet HA, Lopez LM, Pun A, Gallo MF. Vasectomy occlusion techniques for male sterilization. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014;2014:CD003991.
Manikandan R, Srirangam S, Pearson E, Collins G. Early and late morbidity after vasectomy: a comparison of chronic scrotal pain at 1 and 10 years. BJU Int. 2004;93:571–4.
Kendrick JS, Gonzales B, Huber DH, Grubb GS, Rubin GL. Complications of vasectomies in the United States. J Fam Pr. 1987;25:245–8.
Christensen P, Al-Aqidi O, Jensen FS, Dørflinger T. Vasectomy. A prospective, randomized trial of vasectomy with bilateral incision versus the Li vasectomy. Ugeskr Laege. 2002;164:2390–4.
Sokal D, McMullen S, Gates D, Dominik R, Team MSI. A comparative study of the no scalpel and standard incision approaches to vasectomy in 5 countries. J Urol. 1999;162:1621–5.
Barone MA, Irsula B, Chen-Mok M, Sokal DC, Investigator study g. Effectiveness of vasectomy using cautery. BMC Urol. 2004;4:10.
Peacock J, James G, Atkinson M, Henderson J. Complications of vasectomy: results from a prospective audit of 105 393 procedures. BJU Int. 2024;134:789–95.
Holt SK, Salinas CA, Stanford JL. Vasectomy and the risk of prostate cancer. J Urol. 2008;180:2565–7.
Moller H, Knudsen LB, Lynge E. Risk of testicular cancer after vasectomy: cohort study of over 73,000 men. BMJ. 1994;309:295–9.
Perrin EB, Woods JS, Namekata T, Yagi J, Bruce RA, Hofer V. Long-term effect of vasectomy on coronary heart disease. Am J Public Health. 1984;74:128–32.
Buchholz NP, Weuste R, Mattarelli G, Woessmer B, Langewitz W. Post-vasectomy erectile dysfunction. J Psychosom Res. 1994;38:759–62.
Köhler TS, Choy JT, Fazili AA, Koenig JF, Brannigan RE. A critical analysis of the reported association between vasectomy and frontotemporal dementia. Asian J Androl. 2012;14:903.
Zhao K, Wu L, Kong X, Chen Y, Li H, Gu Y, et al. Long-term safety, health and mental status in men with vasectomy. Sci Rep. 2018;8:15703.
Giovannucci E, Tosteson TD, Speizer FE, Vessey MP, Colditz GA. A long-term study of mortality in men who have undergone vasectomy. N Engl J Med. 1992;326:1392–8.
Bertero E, Hallak J, Gromatzky C, Lucon AM, Arap S. Assessment of sexual function in patients undergoing vasectomy using the international index of erectile function. Int Braz J Urol. 2005;31:452–8.
Millard PS. Bias may contribute to association of vasectomy with prostate cancer. West J Med. 1999;171:91.
Dennis L, Dawson D, Resnick M. Vasectomy and the risk of prostate cancer: a meta-analysis examining vasectomy status, age at vasectomy, and time since vasectomy. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis. 2002;5:193–203.
Siddiqui MM, Wilson KM, Epstein MM, Rider JR, Martin NE, Stampfer MJ, et al. Vasectomy and risk of aggressive prostate cancer: a 24-year follow-up study. J Clin Oncol. 2014;32:3033–8.
Davenport MT, Zhang CA, Leppert JT, Brooks JD, Eisenberg ML. Vasectomy and the risk of prostate cancer in a prospective US Cohort: Data from the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. Andrology. 2019;7:178–83.
Seikkula H, Kaipia A, Hirvonen E, Rantanen M, Pitkaniemi J, Malila N, et al. Vasectomy and the risk of prostate cancer in a Finnish nationwide population-based cohort. Cancer Epidemiol. 2020;64:101631.
Husby A, Wohlfahrt J, Melbye M. Vasectomy and prostate cancer risk: a 38-year nationwide cohort study. JNCI: J Natl Cancer Inst. 2020;112:71–7.
Xu Y, Li L, Yang W, Zhang K, Ma K, Xie H, et al. Association between vasectomy and risk of prostate cancer: a meta-analysis. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis. 2021;24:962–75.
Baboudjian M, Rajwa P, Barret E, Beauval J-B, Brureau L, Crehange G, et al. Vasectomy and risk of prostate cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur Urol Open Sci. 2022;41:35–44.
Kawahara T, Teramoto Y, Li Y, Ishiguro H, Gordetsky J, Yang Z, et al. Impact of Vasectomy on the Development and Progression of Prostate Cancer: Preclinical Evidence. Cancers. 2020;12:2295.
Smith, Byrne K, Castano JM, Chirlaque MD, Lilja H, Agudo A, et al. Vasectomy and Prostate Cancer Risk in the European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). J Clin Oncol. 2017;35:1297–303.
Jacobs EJ, Anderson RL, Stevens VL, Newton CC, Gansler T, Gapstur SM. Vasectomy and Prostate Cancer Incidence and Mortality in a Large US Cohort. J Clin Oncol. 2016;34:3880–5.
Zhang XL, Yan JJ, Pan SH, Pan JG, Ying XR, Zhang GF. Vasectomy and the risk of prostate cancer: a meta-analysis of cohort studies. Int J Clin Exp Med. 2015;8:17977–85.
Shang Y, Han G, Li J, Zhao J, Cui D, Liu C, et al. Vasectomy and prostate cancer risk: a meta-analysis of cohort studies. Sci Rep. 2015;5:9920.
Liu LH, Kang R, He J, Zhao SK, Li FT, Wan SP, et al. Vasectomy and risk of prostate cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies. Andrology. 2015;3:643–9.
Di H, Wen Y. Vasectomy and risk of prostate cancer: A Mendelian randomization study and confounder analysis. Prostate. 2024;84:269–76.
Shoag J, Savenkov O, Christos PJ, Mittal S, Halpern JA, Askin G, et al. Vasectomy and Risk of Prostate Cancer in a Screening Trial. Cancer Epidemiol Biomark Prev. 2017;26:1653–9.
Strader CH, Weiss NS, Daling JR. Vasectomy and the incidence of testicular cancer. Am J Epidemiol. 1988;128:56–63.
Cale A, Farouk M, Prescott RJ, Wallace I. Does vasectomy accelerate testicular tumour? Importance of testicular examinations before and after vasectomy. BMJ Br Med J. 1990;300:370.
Rosenberg L, Palmer JR, Zauber AG, Warshauer ME, Strom BL, Harlap S, et al. The relation of vasectomy to the risk of cancer. Am J Epidemiol. 1994;140:431–8.
Nienhuis H, Goldacre M, Seagroatt V, Gill L, Vessey M. Incidence of disease after vasectomy: a record linkage retrospective cohort study. Br Med J. 1992;304:743–6.
Eisenberg ML, Li S, Brooks JD, Cullen MR, Baker LC. Increased risk of cancer in infertile men: analysis of U.S. claims data. J Urol. 2015;193:1596–601.
Duan H, Deng T, Chen Y, Zhao Z, Wen Y, Chen Y, et al. Association between vasectomy and risk of testicular cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Plos one. 2018;13:e0194606.
Shaik S, Rajkumar RP. Post-vasectomy depression: a case report and literature review. Ment Illn. 2014;6:5494.
Engl T, Hallmen S, Beecken W-D, Rubenwolf P, Gerharz E-W, Vallo S. Impact of vasectomy on the sexual satisfaction of couples: experience from a specialized clinic. Cent Eur J Urol. 2017;70:275.
Guo DP, Lamberts RW, Eisenberg ML. Relationship between Vasectomy and Sexual Frequency. J Sex Med. 2015;12:1905–10.
Smith A, Lyons A, Ferris J, Richters J, Pitts M, Shelley J. Are sexual problems more common in men who have had a vasectomy? A population-based study of Australian men. J Sex Med. 2010;7:736–42.
Herkommer K, Matthias J, Rechberger A, Schiele S, Leiber-Caspers C, Schulwitz H, et al. (46) Vasectomy: prevalence and sex life. J Sex Med. 2023;20:qdad062.032.
Clarkson TB, Alexander NJ. Long-term vasectomy: effects on the occurrence and extent of atherosclerosis in rhesus monkeys. J Clin Invest. 1980;65:15–25.
Clarkson TB, Alexander NJ, Morgan TM. Atherosclerosis of cynomolgus monkeys hyper- and hyporesponsive to dietary cholesterol. Lack of effect of vasectomy. Arteriosclerosis. 1988;8:488–98.
Alexander NJ, Wilson BJ, Patterson GD. Vasectomy: immunologic effects in rhesus monkeys and men. Fertil Steril. 1974;25:149–56.
Majumdar S, Bhatia N, Chakravarti R. Immune-response to spermatozoal antigens in vasectomized normal and atherogenic diet fed rabbits. Indian J Med Res. 1981;73:910–5.
Fuchs EF, Alexander NJ. Immunologic considerations before and after vasovasostomy. Fertil Steril. 1983;40:497–9.
Chi IC, Kong SK, Wilkens LR, Cho AJ, Siemens AJ, Meng KH, et al. Vasectomy and cardiovascular deaths in Korean men: a community-based case-control study. Int J Epidemiol. 1990;19:1113–5.
Chi IC, Ko UR, Wilkens LR, Chang HK, Nam JJ. Vasectomy and non-fatal acute myocardial infarction: a hospital-based case-control study in Seoul, Korea. Int J Epidemiol. 1990;19:32–41.
Coady SA, Sharrett AR, Zheng ZJ, Evans GW, Heiss G. Vasectomy, inflammation, atherosclerosis and long-term followup for cardiovascular diseases: no associations in the atherosclerosis risk in communities study. J Urol. 2002;167:204–7.
Goldacre MJ, Holford TR, Vessey MP. Cardiovascular disease and vasectomy. Findings from two epidemiologic studies. N Engl J Med. 1983;308:805–8.
Goldacre MJ, Wotton CJ, Seagroatt V, Yeates D. Cancer and cardiovascular disease after vasectomy: an epidemiological database study. Fertil Steril. 2005;84:1438–43.
Manson JE, Ridker PM, Spelsberg A, Ajani U, Lotufo PA, Hennekens CH. Vasectomy and subsequent cardiovascular disease in US physicians. Contraception. 1999;59:181–6.
Rosenberg L, Schwingl PJ, Kaufman DW, Helmrich SP, Palmer JR, Shapiro S. The risk of myocardial infarction 10 or more years after vasectomy in men under 55 years of age. Am J Epidemiol. 1986;123:1049–56.
Tang GH, Zhong YH, Ma YM, Luo L, Cui K, Luo J, et al. Vasectomy and health: cardiovascular and other diseases following vasectomy in Sichuan province, People’s Republic of China. Int J Epidemiol. 1988;17:608–17.
Walker AM, Jick H, Hunter JR, Danford A, Watkins RN, Alhadeff L, et al. Vasectomy and non-fatal myocardial infarction. Lancet. 1981;1:13–5.
Rimm AA, Hoffmann RG, Anderson AJ, Gruchow HW, Barboriak JJ. The relationship between vasectomy and angiographically determined atherosclerosis in men. Prev Med. 1983;12:262–73.
Mullooly JP, Wiest WM, Alexander NJ, Greenlick MR, Fulgham DL. Vasectomy, serum assays, and coronary heart disease symptoms and risk factors. J Clin Epidemiol. 1993;46:101–9.
Massey FJ, Bernstein GS, O’Fallon WM, Schuman LM, Coulson AH, Crozier R, et al. Vasectomy and health: results from a large cohort study. Jama. 1984;252:1023–9.
Guo ZL, Xu JL, Lai RK, Wang SS. Vasectomy and cardiovascular disease risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine. 2017;96:e7852.
Weintraub S, Fahey C, Johnson N, Mesulam MM, Gitelman DR, Weitner BB, et al. Vasectomy in men with primary progressive aphasia. Cogn Behav Neurol. 2006;19:190–3.
Decker DA, Heilman KM. Steroid treatment of primary progressive aphasia. Arch Neurol. 2008;65:1533–5.
Chaffee JK, Schachner M. NS-6 (nervous system antigen-6): a new cell surface antigen of brain, kidney, and spermatozoa. Dev Biol. 1978;62:173–84.
Chaffee JK, Schachner M. NS-7 (nervous system antigen-7): a cell surface antigen of mature brain, kidney, and spermatozoa shared by embryonal tissues and transformed cells. Dev Biol. 1978;62:185–92.
Schachner M, Wortham KA, Carter LD, Chaffee JK. NS-4 (nervous system antigen-4), a cell surface antigen of developing and adult mouse brain and sperm. Dev Biol. 1975;44:313–25.
Ansbacher R. Vasectomy: sperm antibodies. Fertil Steril. 1973;24:788–92.
Heidenreich A, Bonfig R, Wilbert DM, Strohmaier WL, Engelmann UH. Risk factors for antisperm antibodies in infertile men. Am J Reprod Immunol. 1994;31:69–76.
Spillantini MG, Bird TD, Ghetti B. Frontotemporal dementia and Parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17: a new group of tauopathies. Brain Pathol. 1998;8:387–402.
Ashman JB, Hall ES, Eveleth J, Boekelheide K. Tau, the neuronal heat-stable microtubule-associated protein, is also present in the cross-linked microtubule network of the testicular spermatid manchette. Biol Reprod 1992;46:120–9.
Tung KS. Human sperm antigens and antisperm antibodies I. Studies on vasectomy patients. Clin Exp Immunol. 1975;20:93–104.
Alexander NJ. Vasectomy and vasovasostomy in rhesus monkeys: the effect of circulating antisperm antibodies on fertility. Fertil Steril. 1977;28:562–9.
Hattikudur NS, Shanta SR, Shahani SK, Shastri PR, Thakker PV, Bordekar AD. Immunological and clinical consequences of vasectomy. Andrologia. 1982;14:15–22.
Alexander NJ, Schmidt SS. Incidence of antisperm antibody levels and granulomas in men. Fertil Steril. 1977;28:655–7.
McDonald SW. Cellular responses to vasectomy. Int Rev Cytol. 2000;199:295–339.
Alexander NJ, Anderson DJ. Vasectomy: consequences of autoimmunity to sperm antigens. Fertil Steril. 1979;32:253–60.
Gupta I, Dhawan S, Goel GD, Saha K. Low fertility rate in vasovasostomized males and its possible immunologic mechanism. Int J Fertil. 1975;20:183–91.
Abouelgreed TA, Amer MA, Mamdouh H, El-Sherbiny AF, Aboelwafa H, Omar OA, et al. Effects of antisperm antibodies post vasectomy reversal on pregnancy rates. Arch Ital Urol Androl. 2024;96:12335.
Vazquez-Levin MH, Marin-Briggiler CI, Veaute C. Antisperm antibodies: invaluable tools toward the identification of sperm proteins involved in fertilization. Am J Reprod Immunol. 2014;72:206–18.
Dubin JM, White J, Ory J, Ramasamy R. Vasectomy reversal vs. sperm retrieval with in vitro fertilization: a contemporary, comparative analysis. Fertil Steril. 2021;115:1377–83.
Goldacre M, Wotton C, Seagroatt V, Yeates D. Immune-related disease before and after vasectomy: an epidemiological database study. Hum Reprod. 2007;22:1273–8.
Adams CE, Wald M. Risks and complications of vasectomy. Urologic Clin North Am. 2009;36:331–6.
Schlegel PN, Sigman M, Collura B, De Jonge CJ, Eisenberg ML, Lamb DJ, et al. Diagnosis and treatment of infertility in men: AUA/ASRM guideline part I. J Urol. 2021;205:36–43.
Zhu CC, Tang B, Su J, Zhao H, Bu X, Li Z, et al. Abnormal Accumulation of Collagen Type I Due to the Loss of Discoidin Domain Receptor 2 (Ddr2) Promotes Testicular Interstitial Dysfunction. PLoS One. 2015;10:e0131947.
Duru FI, Ajayi S, Azu OO. The effect of unilateral vasectomy on testosterone and testicular parameters in the adult male African giant rat (Cricetomys gambianus). Afr Health Sci. 2013;13:483–9.
Ren L, Weng Q, Kishimoto M, Watanabe G, Jaroenporn S, Taya K. Effect of short period vasectomy on FSH, LH, inhibin and testosterone secretions, and sperm motility in adult male rats. Exp Anim. 2011;60:47–56.
Mohamad NV, Wong SK, Wan Hasan WN, Jolly JJ, Nur-Farhana MF, Ima-Nirwana S, et al. The relationship between circulating testosterone and inflammatory cytokines in men. Aging Male. 2019;22:129–40.
Wieland RG, Hallberg MC, Zorn EM, Klein DE, Luria SS. Pituitary-gonadal function before and after vasectomy. Fertil Steril. 1972;23:779–81.
Smith KD, Tcholakian RK, Chowdhury M, Steinberger E. An investigation of plasma hormone levels before and after vasectomy. Fertil Steril. 1976;27:144–51.
Richards IS, Davis JE, Lubell I. Current status of endocrinologic effects of vasectomy. Urology. 1981;18:1–6.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Idea conception: YSC, ME. Literature searching and review: YSC, TJ, APL, AC, SB. Draft writing: YSC, TJ, APL, AC. Critical revision: YSC, TJ, APL, AC, SB, ME. Oversight/supervision: YSC, ME.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
MLE advises for Legacy, Doveras, Hannah, Next, illumicell, HisTurn. Other authors have nothing to disclose.
Additional information
Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Cheng, YS., Jiang, T., Pourabhari Langroudi, A. et al. The review of the long-term health risks associated with vasectomy. Int J Impot Res (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41443-025-01043-4
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Version of record:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41443-025-01043-4


