Men who have undergone vasectomy have sex more frequently than their non-vasectomized counterparts, according to a new Journal of Sexual Medicine Study.
Female partners of vasectomized men also have sex more often, the data showed.
While vasectomy is an effective form of birth control, many men are reluctant to have the surgery. They often worry that vasectomy will diminish their sexual potency and cause problems with erections, orgasm, and overall satisfaction.
Past studies have found that vasectomy does not lead to such outcomes.
Researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine considered whether having quantitative data might help healthcare providers better explain the impact of vasectomy on male sexual function and help relieve patients’ anxiety.
In their study, they compared the sexual frequency of vasectomized and non-vasectomized men as well as women whose partners did – or did not – have the procedure.
The scientists looked at data from participants of the National Survey of Family Growth. Respondents lived in the United States and were between the ages of 25 and 45. Sexual frequency information applied to the previous four weeks.
Men’s Results
Among the men, 353 of 5,838 participants had undergone vasectomy. The researchers found the following:
| Vasectomized Men | Non-vasectomized Men | |
| Average sexual frequency | 5.9 times per month | 4.9 times per month |
| No intercourse in past month | 6% | 15% |
| Sexual frequency less than once a week | 28% | 30% |
| Sexual frequency one or more times a week | 66% | 55% |
After adjusting for variables like age, marital status, and self-reported health status, men who had undergone vasectomy had 81% higher odds of having intercourse at least once a week when compared to the non-vasectomized men.
Women’s Results
Women with vasectomized partners also tended to have sex a little more frequently. Among 5,211 female respondents, 670 had partners who had had a vasectomy.
| Women with Vasectomized Partners | Women with Non-vasectomized Partners | |
| Average sexual frequency | 6.3 times per month | 6.0 times per month |
| No intercourse in past month | 4% | 7% |
| Sexual frequency less than once a week | 26% | 29% |
| Sexual frequency one or more times a week | 69% | 64% |
The odds of having intercourse at least once a week were 46% higher for women with vasectomized partners than those with non-vasectomized partners.
Why did vasectomized men and their partners have sex more often? Lower anxiety over unplanned pregnancy is one possible explanation. With birth control settled, women may have stopped taking oral contraceptives, which can dampen libido. Men may have felt that having more sex helped them regain some of their masculinity.
Having concrete numbers may help clinicians who counsel prospective vasectomy patients, the authors noted.
“Couples may be more inclined to pursue vasectomy when the high satisfaction rate is also reinforced by a more objective measure such as sexual frequency,” they wrote.
However, they added that other factors, such as hormonal status and coexisting illnesses, could also affect how often a couple has sex.
Some experts suggest that findings such as these should always be interpreted cautiously, as they may simply indicate that men who undergo a vasectomy are more likely sexually active compared to men not undergoing a vasectomy.
It should also be noted that vasectomy has side effects for some men, including pain, infection, swelling, and bleeding under the skin.
Resources
The Journal of Sexual Medicine
Guo, David P., MD, et al.
“Relationship between Vasectomy and Sexual Frequency”
(Full-text. First published online: August 14, 2015)
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsm.12962/full
Urology Care Foundation
“Quick Snip: Should You Get a Vasectomy?”
(Fall 2014)
http://www.urologyhealth.org/patient-magazine/magazine-archives/2014/fall-2014/quick-snip-should-you-get-a-vasectomy