If you’re dealing with low testosterone symptoms like low sex drive, fatigue, or weight gain, you may be wondering if that vasectomy you had a couple of years ago is the culprit.
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If you’re dealing with low testosterone symptoms like low sex drive, fatigue, or weight gain, you may be wondering if that vasectomy you had a couple of years ago is the culprit. But rest assured: Research consistently shows that getting a vasectomy doesn’t affect testosterone long-term.
Any hormonal changes after a vasectomy are usually short-lived, like other side effects. The procedure also isn’t likely to affect your sex life long-term — except for relieving some of the stress about unplanned parenthood.
In this guide, we’ll discuss what happens during a vasectomy, the health risks associated with the surgical procedure, and what you can do to maintain healthy testosterone levels, whether you’ve had a vasectomy or not.
A vasectomy is a relatively quick and straightforward procedure that cuts the supply of sperm to your semen. It is typically performed under local anesthesia using one of the following surgical methods:
Conventional (or incision). During a conventional vasectomy, a urologist or other healthcare provider first numbs the scrotum with a local anesthetic. Then, they make one or two small incisions in the testicles to gain access to the vas deferens tubes, which transport sperm out of the testes. The vas deferens tubes are then cut and sealed off with heat. Afterward, your provider uses stitches or skin glue to close the incision.
No-scalpel. With the no-scalpel method, your provider makes a small puncture hole on one side of the scrotum to access the vas deferens. Once accessed, the vas deferens is pulled through the hole and cut. The ends are either sealed off with heat or tied off and put back in place. The provider then repeats the procedure on the other testicle. Because the puncture holes are small, no stitches are needed with the no-scalpel method.
Recovery after a vasectomy usually only takes a few days. You may notice some swelling or discomfort during that time, but ice packs and over-the-counter pain relievers typically do the trick.
Your doctor may recommend avoiding swimming or bathing for a couple of days. You’ll also want to steer clear of sexual activity for about a week. Once you’re back in action, be sure to use another form of contraception — your semen won’t be sperm-free just yet. It typically takes around two months (or sometimes longer) for all the sperm to clear out. Your doctor will likely perform a semen analysis about eight to 16 weeks post-procedure to confirm it’s sperm-free.
Yes, a vasectomy is reversible, but success rates vary.
During a vasectomy reversal, your provider will reconnect the pathway for the sperm to enter the semen. Usually, the severed ends of the vas deferens are reattached. But in some cases, the ends of the vas are attached directly to the epididymis, the long, coiled tube at the back of each testicle where sperm matures.
A vasectomy is a safe and effective form of birth control, with a 99.7 percent success rate and 1 to 2 percent risk of long-term complications. Of all the possible complications linked to vasectomies, low testosterone isn’t one of them.
A vasectomy may have a low risk of complications, but there’s still a chance you may experience short- and long-term effects after the procedure.
Short-term effects of a vasectomy include:
Slight discomfort or pain
Bruising
Swelling
If you experience a fever, excessive bleeding, or pus oozing from your scrotum, these may be signs of an infection, and you should contact your provider right away.
Though uncommon, long-term effects and complications of a vasectomy may include:
Chronic pain (post-vasectomy pain syndrome), which occurs in 1 to 15 percent of people who get the procedure, though only 1 to 2 percent report that it affects their quality of life
Sperm granuloma, or a non-cancerous lump, which may be avoided by refraining from ejaculation for at least one week after surgery
Antisperm antibodies, which are linked to low sperm count and infertility
Despite earlier evidence showing a slight correlation between vasectomies and an increased risk of prostate cancer, more current research has refuted this link.
One animal study found that vasectomies may cause testicular changes along with decreased sperm count and motility. However, there’s no evidence showing that getting a vasectomy will lower testosterone in humans.
Research on men undergoing vasectomy reversals suggests that other factors, like body weight, have a greater effect on testosterone levels than the vasectomy itself. In a study of 500 men, higher body mass index (BMI) was consistently linked to lower testosterone levels, regardless of vasectomy history.
Even more surprisingly, one study of aging men found that those who had undergone vasectomies had higher total testosterone levels than those who hadn’t. But once researchers adjusted for factors like age and overall health, the difference disappeared, suggesting that the vasectomy wasn’t the cause of the boost.
In short, current research doesn’t support the idea that vasectomies lower testosterone levels. Instead, other health influences like weight and age play a much bigger role.
Older research has shown that getting a vasectomy may impact other hormones related to reproductive health, but only temporarily.
For instance, a Danish study from the 1980s revealed a rise in luteinizing hormone (LH) 10 days after vasectomy, but these levels returned to normal by three months. LH is a hormone produced by the pituitary gland, which helps to stimulate testosterone production. No significant changes were observed in follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) or long-term LH levels.
Getting a vasectomy is highly unlikely to have any negative effects on your erectile function.
While vasectomies cut the supply of sperm to your semen, they don’t cut the supply of blood to the erectile tissues of your penis, nor do they alter the signals that your brain transmits to the nerves in and around your penis when you’re aroused.
In fact, the opposite may be true. One Brazilian study from 2005 found that vasectomy surgery had a positive effect on sexual function in men, especially on desire and sexual satisfaction, with no increased risk of ED following the procedure.
Learn more about vasectomies and erectile function.
No, getting a vasectomy will not affect your sex drive. The National Institutes of Health confirms that vasectomies don’t affect your libido or your ability to get an erection because the procedure doesn’t lower your testosterone levels. Your hormones stay intact, and so does your performance.
A vasectomy won’t affect your ability to ejaculate, but it will prevent sperm from entering the semen that you ejaculate.
Studies show that male sterilization has no apparent influence on the volume of ejaculate because about 95 percent of ejaculate is produced by the prostate and seminal vesicles. Studies on vasectomized men showed that the ejaculation volume after a vasectomy was just 0.3 milliliters smaller than before the procedure.
While a vasectomy isn’t likely to contribute to low testosterone, there are many other reasons why your T levels may decline over time, leading to symptoms like erectile dysfunction, low libido, decreased muscle mass, increased body fat, fatigue, and more.
Common causes and contributing factors to low testosterone include:
Genetic conditions like Klinefelter syndrome or Noonan syndrome
Testicular injury
Cancer treatment
Aging
Obesity
Certain medications like opioids and antidepressants
Finding out the root cause of your low testosterone and assessing your symptoms can help you and your provider come up with informed decisions about how to get your levels back up. This can include medication like enclomiphene or testosterone replacement therapy. They may also suggest taking erectile dysfunction medication if you’re dealing with symptoms like ED.
You can also make healthy lifestyle changes to support your natural production of testosterone and long-term health, such as:
Following a healthy diet rich in testosterone-boosting foods
Exercising regularly
Getting seven or more hours of high-quality sleep each night
Losing weight if necessary
Lowering your stress levels
Cutting back on alcohol
Quitting smoking
There are many misconceptions about vasectomies, including the notion that these simple procedures will affect your ability to produce testosterone or get an erection. Fortunately, the research shows that complications from the procedure are rare.
But that doesn’t mean you won’t run into these problems at some point due to other medical conditions or lifestyle choices.
If you’re suffering from low testosterone or symptoms of low T, like erectile dysfunction or low libido, get advice from a healthcare provider today to find out what treatments are available.
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