Post by ngio64 on Mar 23, 2007 10:00:28 GMT -5
Hi, I had heard that vasectomies can harm a man's long term health. Most of what I read was from sites about allowing the Lord to determine how many children a couple has so I do not know if they are biased. Does anyone have any more information or a health based opinion. I did find this article from a google search. www.totse.com/en/technology/science_technology/vasect.html
Long-term Safety:
The Antibody
Question
Concern over the long-term safety of vasectomy first arose
several years ago when researchers discovered that many men
produce antibodies to sperm following the operation.
Fortunately, investigators have since found no evidence that
this immune response causes health problems in men.
Antibodies are disease-fighting substances that circulate in the
bloodstream. Normally they protect the body from invaders such
as viruses, bacteria, and foreign cells. In the case of many
vasectomized men, however, the body's immune system mistakes
sperm for foreign cells and forms antibodies against them.
This happens because early in infancy, the immune system learns
what is native to the body and what is foreign. Sperm cells are
not produced until years later, at puberty. But at that time,
they are essentially hidden from the immune system by barriers in
the reproductive tract, so antibodies are not formed.
After vasectomy, however, the protective barriers can be broken.
The testicles still produce sperm, which the body absorbs. In
the process, antibodies often form.
One-half to two-thirds of men who have had vasectomies develop
antibodies to sperm after the procedure. It is not known why
some men produce more or fewer antibodies than others, and some
none at all. A very small percent of men without vasectomies
also develop sperm antibodies because of surgery, infection, or
inborn abnormalities of the reproductive tract.
In men with vasectomies, the antibodies may persist for 10 years
or more after surgery. Doctors became concerned about this
immune response because they felt that, in theory, it might have
adverse consequences.
The most serious side effect that was suggested by studies in
monkeys is a worsening of hardening of the arteries. When these
studies were reported in the late 1970s, the investigators
thought the antibodies might play a part in damaging inner walls
of arteries. Nevertheless, research to date has not demonstrated
that these findings apply to men.
As an example, one study showed that the level of sperm
antibodies in a man's bloodstream does not affect his risk of
developing coronary heart disease. At the Battelle Human Affairs
Research Centers in Seattle, WA, a group of scientists found that
high levels of sperm antibodies were equally common in men with
and without heart disease. There was no evidence, moreover, that
the antibody levels increase over time.
Long-term Safety:
The Antibody
Question
Concern over the long-term safety of vasectomy first arose
several years ago when researchers discovered that many men
produce antibodies to sperm following the operation.
Fortunately, investigators have since found no evidence that
this immune response causes health problems in men.
Antibodies are disease-fighting substances that circulate in the
bloodstream. Normally they protect the body from invaders such
as viruses, bacteria, and foreign cells. In the case of many
vasectomized men, however, the body's immune system mistakes
sperm for foreign cells and forms antibodies against them.
This happens because early in infancy, the immune system learns
what is native to the body and what is foreign. Sperm cells are
not produced until years later, at puberty. But at that time,
they are essentially hidden from the immune system by barriers in
the reproductive tract, so antibodies are not formed.
After vasectomy, however, the protective barriers can be broken.
The testicles still produce sperm, which the body absorbs. In
the process, antibodies often form.
One-half to two-thirds of men who have had vasectomies develop
antibodies to sperm after the procedure. It is not known why
some men produce more or fewer antibodies than others, and some
none at all. A very small percent of men without vasectomies
also develop sperm antibodies because of surgery, infection, or
inborn abnormalities of the reproductive tract.
In men with vasectomies, the antibodies may persist for 10 years
or more after surgery. Doctors became concerned about this
immune response because they felt that, in theory, it might have
adverse consequences.
The most serious side effect that was suggested by studies in
monkeys is a worsening of hardening of the arteries. When these
studies were reported in the late 1970s, the investigators
thought the antibodies might play a part in damaging inner walls
of arteries. Nevertheless, research to date has not demonstrated
that these findings apply to men.
As an example, one study showed that the level of sperm
antibodies in a man's bloodstream does not affect his risk of
developing coronary heart disease. At the Battelle Human Affairs
Research Centers in Seattle, WA, a group of scientists found that
high levels of sperm antibodies were equally common in men with
and without heart disease. There was no evidence, moreover, that
the antibody levels increase over time.
