Post Vasectomy Syndrome
Gary Satz
I had a vasectomy 9/98 and have developed prostatitis and epididymitis.
Is anyone familiar with this condition - I believe it is called post
vasectomy syndrome. I'm scared out of my mind....
Gary
stev...@my-dejanews.com
I wish you had read all the newsgroups about vasectomy before the surgery.
1) I had a vasectomy (and subsequent reversal)
2) I also suffered from epididymitis (still do, but less since reversal)
3) Epididymitis is caused by the backing up of sperm in the vas. The build up
causes a pressure (where are the sperm to go?). They end up 'blowing out' in
the soft tissue of the epididimys which causes swelling and discomfort
(sometimes quite a bit).
4) When they (whoever they are) told you that the sperm just get reabsorbed,
they did not tell you that it is not a simple re-absorption. The sperm have to
leak out of the vas, usually through the epididmys. The sperm are then
attacked, destroyed, and then absorbed by your body's immune system.
5) The body builds up Anti-Sperm Antibodies (ASA) to 'absorb' these sperm.
This auto-immune attack on tissue very similar to your own tissue has lead to
speculation that other auto-immune diseases may be triggered by vasectomies,
such as adult on set diabetes.
6) I found no studies that look at correlation of vasectomies with
auto-immune diseases. This despite the large number of men with vasectomies
and the relatively low cost of doing the studies. There are studies that show
long term risk for increased risk of prostate cancer and lower testosterone.
There is a very vocal segment of the population which wishes for vasectomies
to be safe and risk free so that men will take on responsibility for birth
control. Unfortunately, the real information on the risks is rarely given or
discussed. Best advice, find two urologist who have had the operation within
the last five years and ask them some questions. Good luck, on finding them.
Steve
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michj...@my-dejanews.com
I can sympathize with your problems, I am going through as lot of the same.
The syndromes you are suffering from are not widely recognized. The relation
between prostatitis and vasectomy is not fully understood, there is a lot of
theory floating around out there but little on the "what can be done about
it" side. Whereas the relationship between epididymitis and the vasectomy has
been demonstrated and studies have been published (and there are various
modes of treatment). Reversals sound like a common sense approach, but they
are expensive and there are no guarantees for success.
My suggestion is to find a sympathetic urologist, someone who will listen and
evaluate alternative forms of treatment (other than sitz baths approach).
Further, I would avoid seeking advice from the MD who performed the
procedure. It is practically impossible extend your sympathy (and belief) to
someone suffering from something you have had a hand in creating. Be patient,
there are practitioners who will address your problems. Good luck.
mj
dema...@usa.net
‰
Anonymous lo14
> The sperm are then attacked, destroyed,
> and then absorbed by your body's immune system.
>
> The body builds up Anti-Sperm Antibodies (ASA)
> to 'absorb' these sperm. This auto-immune attack
> on tissue very similar to your own tissue has
> lead to speculation that other auto-immune
> diseases may be triggered by vasectomies, such
> as adult on set diabetes.
And perhaps chronic non-bacterial prostatitis too? Perhaps CP is
auto-immune, or perhaps it is an allergic reaction to one's own sperm!
So many theories, so little time...
nosur...@my-dejanews.com
stev...@my-dejanews.com wrote:
>
> 3) Epididymitis is caused by the backing up of sperm in the vas. The build up
> causes a pressure (where are the sperm to go?). They end up 'blowing out' in
> the soft tissue of the epididimys which causes swelling and discomfort
> (sometimes quite a bit).
>
> 4) When they (whoever they are) told you that the sperm just get reabsorbed,
> they did not tell you that it is not a simple re-absorption. The sperm have to
> attacked, destroyed, and then absorbed by your body's immune system.
>
> This auto-immune attack on tissue very similar to your own tissue has lead to
> speculation that other auto-immune diseases may be triggered by vasectomies,
> such as adult on set diabetes.
>
PMJI.
IMO,my case is quite related, although I did not have vasectomy. I was
operated on the penis and could not have sex for about 8 weeks.(Time for a lot
of sperm to build up) The first time
I had sex I did unfortunately not ejaculate-nor did I urinate afterwards. Half
a day later I felt something wrong in my urethra and my prostate. (All tests
for STDs came back negative).This could indeed be explained by an auto-immune
reaction.
Especially as nowadays(about 6 years later) I suffer from other autoimmune
diseases,i.e. Psoriasis and Multiple Sclerosis.
Most specialists I've seen till now did not see a relation between these
diseases. Yet if I read your posting...
Regards, Tom
David Stultz
testicle. It was worsened by a 60 minute ultrasound on the same testicle to
find out "what was going on."
If you want more details of my experience with an epididymectomy visit my
website: