Vasectomy—A Note of Concern

Lear, Harold

doi:10.1001/jama.1972.03190350042013

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 8 publications

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“…Most studies concerned with the consequences of vasectomy for psychosocial well being (3,7,(10)(11)(12)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22) report very high levels of user satisfaction for both the vasectomized man and his spouse (eg, from 90% to 100% of men report retrospectively that they are pleased with their decisions to obtain a vasectomy); yet, in spite of the generally favorable testimony of vasectomized men, doubts about possible undesirable psychological effects continue to be expressed (21,(23)(24)(25)(26). For example, Rodgers et al (21) suggested that highly favorable reports by vasectomized men should be taken with a grain of salt-the men may be "protesting too much" in a defensive maneuver to compensate for a threat to their masculinity posed by vasectomy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Methodological Critique of Research on Psychological Effects of Vasectomy

Wiest

Janke

1974

Psychosomatic Medicine

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Vasectomy, a minor surgical contraceptive operation for men, is an increasingly popular birth control method chosen by those who plan no (or no more) children. While most of the substantial literature on the subject contains very favorable retrospective reports by vasectomized men and their wives, questions continue to be raised by some investigators about possibly adverse psychological effects both for the vasectomized man and his spouse. Unfortunately, because of methodological defects in the research in this area, there is very little definitive evidence on the psychological impact of vasectomy. We identify the flaws in most published research on the topic and suggest ethically acceptable rigorous research designs that will yield more definitive information about the psychological consequences of vasectomy. It is important to know whether vasectomy constitutes a psychological risk; it is equally important to discover whether vasectomy has the anxiety-reducing and health-promoting effects most vasectomized men report.

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