Men: Scary News If You Had a Vasectomy

[Merric 21]

Men: Scary News If You Had a Vasectomy

Men who have had a vasectomy face a higher risk of developing a rare form of dementia characterized by a steady loss of language skills, Reuters reports of new research from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. Specifically, the male sterilization technique has been linked to a neurological condition called primary progressive aphasia, or PPA.

 

The study: The team surveyed 47 men who had PPA and were being treated at Northwestern's Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center and 57 men who did not have PPA. All of the men ranged in age from 55 to 80. Typically affecting men over age 50, PPA is sometimes mistaken for Alzheimer's disease because the initial symptoms are so similar. Like Alzheimer's it is incurable, but in PPA the nerve cells die only in the area of the brain that governs language skills. Symptoms include faulty recollection of names of people and things, difficulties in speech, reading and writing, and poor comprehension.

 

The results: Forty percent of the men who had PPA had undergone a vasectomy, compared with just 16 percent of those who didn't have the disease. Those who had vasectomies also suffered the onset of PPA four years earlier than those who weren't sterilized. It gets worse: Preliminary data also linked vasectomies to another form of dementia involving behavioral changes, reports Reuters. Of 30 men who had frontotemporal dementia, more than one-third had had a vasectomy.

 

Study leader Sandra Weintraub acknowledged that the study was very small, and until more research confirms the findings she says men should not stop getting vasectomies. She also admitted it's the kind of news that scares men--and the women who love them. "I was hoping not to, but unfortunately it's the kind of news that ends up scaring people even though they may not need to be scared," Weintraub told Retuers. "This was just a clinical observation that started with one of my patients telling me that he first noticed the onset of his symptoms a couple of years after he had a vasectomy, and he wondered whether that might have something to do with it. In his mind, these things were connected."

 

How can a vasectomy cause PPA? Weintrab theorizes the surgery may allow sperm to leak into the blood, which would cause the immune system to produce antibodies to fight the sperm. That might trigger damage that would in turn cause dementia. The research findings were published in the journal Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology.

 

Anyway it seems to me those of you men here who have vasectomies might want to keep track of this subject. And I really don’t know if the monitors here would find this an acceptable excuse to post the Web Url, so if anyone wants to check on this I suggest using the title of this article in a search engine. My best wishes in the end the findings will turn out to be unrelated coincidence or something of the like and as stated towards the articles end there really is nothing to worry about. Just though you'd like to be informed is all

[JustAskJulie 2,595]

URLS to articles are allowed we just don't allow promotional/ advertising URLs. (sometimes it's a fine line and a judgement call that we have to make).

[interested-05 135]

hmmm, if i remember correctly, my mind started going about the time I started having wet dreams, and reading playboy.

In all seriousness, I was very reluctant to have the procedure, due to other health concerns. In the end I am glad I did, as I dont think my health, mental or otherwise, could handle having to raise kids a second time.

[edmustang 19]

One thing I learned very well in graduate school is that numbers can be made to say just about anything, depending on how you phrase the questions.

 

Any "connection" between vasectomies and PPA could very well be random chance. Dr. Weintraub even admitted that the study was small and that "it's the kind of news that ends up scaring people even though they may not need to be scared," Yet that didn't stop her from broadcasting the idea and getting all kinds of publicity for it. Hmmm.....

 

Further, once you make any kind of a connection it's not all that hard to find some theory to explain it, no matter how ludicrous. Since no one has yet disproven the theory, it will get even more press coverage. Hmmmm.....

 

This is why I don't watch the news anymore. I wouldn't take it too seriously.

[edmustang 19]

On a personal level...getting a vasectomy was such a great thing for me, it would be worth the risk.

[jandg 25]

Yeah, I had my vasectomy almost 30 years ago when I was married to my first wife...what the heck was her name???

[JoeB 17]

I, too, had a vasectomy over 30 years. It did effect my sex drive; increased it! I no longer had to worry about getting my wife pregant. Seriously, it one of the smarter things I did back then.

[WesternSwing 504]

One thing this article makes it sound like is that 40% of those that get vasectomies also get PPA. The word "unusual" is used to describe PPA, but the word not used is "rare", which you'll find on the National Aphasia Association's website. Unfortunately there are not any figures regarding cases per thousand, ten thousand, million, etc. So how rare I could not find.

 

The fact is that PPA is "rare" and that of all those "rare" cases 40% also had a vasectomy. 60% did not have a vasectomy. Now, I also have to wonder what percentage of men get vasectomies. Is it about the same?

 

I think the media did a great disservice leaving this point out and sensationalizing the issue.

 

Mr. WS

[Nudesailing 16]

I had mine about 10 years ago and I have definitely noticed myself getting dumber, Or maybe i was always dumb and just didnt pay any attention to it. lol

I do not regret getting it done.

[tribbles 490]

Have your testosterone level checked.

 

I wonder if the men with PPA have low levels? It does affect thinking and feeling.

[Darkblue 55]

I had my "V" done 6 years ago and errrrrm sorry i have ofrgotten wahht i wnidnet to say

 

 

steve

[SuAndBud 23]

Great, just GREAT!!!

 

I was snipped 15 years ago and read of increased cancer risks following a vasectomy around a week later.

 

Now this, too.

 

You think "Mother Nature" is telling us something? Like once you can't reproduce no more, your reason for living from "her" point of view becomes diminished so why let you hang around taking up the planet's resources?

 

Wonder if a reversal makes any difference?

[interested-05 135]

hmmm, I think i started losing my ability to think clearly about the time I first had a hard-on. what did you say your name was?

[BCinIN 52]

At this rate, with all these new risks these "researchers" are discovering, I can't help but think I'm going to die someday. Nah, can't be.

[cocpl2007 170]

Had mine well over 20 years ago. One of the single most hilarious medical events I was ever subjected to. And to think that some day it will cause me to lose my mind...well, I've got a lot of forget'n to do, maybe this'll help!

 

Firing blanks has been and continues to be a B L A S T!

 

[BCinIN 52]

I seriously doubt there's anything to worry about. 500,000 men per year in America get vasectomies. If it increased the total risk to anything about a negligible amount, the disease would be a lot less than rare now.

 

I think this is another case of a "researcher" wanting some grant money.

[cplin78260 15]

Well, not much I can do about that now, but it is what it is.

 

In the year of my 40th year, I had...in this order:

 

1. My first child...yes at 40...YIKES!!! And after all of those times in my younger years when the doctor said I had a low sperm count.

2. My first threesome...yes, I lived a very sheltered life...but my eyes are wide open now! LOL

3. Got snipped, the day before my birthday...happy birthday to me! LOL

 

Reason for snipping was...well, I was having a hard time gripping with reality that I would be putting a daughter through college when I was about ready to retire.

 

Add to that, my wife had a rough pregnancy and she was done...and did not want to have more health issues with having another child.

[mothandrust 30]

My doctor doesn't believe me, and I know it's unbelievable... but I know I was responsible for a baby 'after' my vasectomy. The baby miscarried, and I KNOW what my doctor thinks happened...

 

Being cryptic. My new doctor tells me recanalisation is possible, but very very unlikely and improbably. Not impossible though. I believe I beat the incredible odds and should have bought a lottery ticked that day rather than have sex.

[vasilie 15]

to the guy above, get you swimmers checked again to make sure and then i'd say are you sure about who caused what?

 

as far as getting worked up over a study of 100 men, i don't think so!

[rt829 18]

I had mine done 34 years ago. I'm 66 and feel terrific, BP 116/65, total cholestrol 185, HDL 65....what was this topic again?

[LFM2 1,482]

Dave says this would just makes him a "crazy fucker"... He's so weird!

[ktimephoenix 156]

anyone taking sharp tools and burning instruments to my genitles would probably cause brain damage to me!!!

 

good idea tho, AFTER mrs P and I have a couple of mini us's.

[Chris&Amelia 253]

So far I've had no complications from mine...

[VAswingcurious 15]

I had my husband get a vasectomy after our last child and the sex with him is unbelievable now - That is all he wants to do... Wish I would have done it sooner! LOL!

[hsv2biguy 15]

" I did not have sex with that woman"

wa u hum what was the question?

[quietlykinky 40]

It's an awefully small test group with whacky percentages and a whole lot of mights, maybes and coulds. I'm not terribly concerned about this.

Had my vasectomy three years ago. One of the best decisions we ever made.

[prometheius 137]

I had my vasectomy 27 years, 357 days ago. I've had no complications or problems and still feel sharp as I ever have been. Besides the posotive of not having to worry about causing a pregnancy any longer, another benefit of having the proceedure is that it decreases the chances of having prostate issues, cancer in particular.

[exploringRM 305]

Somewhat scary news, but sunshine, second hand smoke (which is way to prevalent at swing clubs), grilled meat, artificial sweetener, sex with multiple partners, driving, all probably have a great risk (in my non-scientific findings..lol). My mom-in-law worries about everything to the n-degree, drives us nuts..me I deal with what I can control and try not to sweat the rest!