Some men may have strong emotional reactions after vasectomy. It is difficult to provide an estimate of the occurrence of the risk of emotional reactions after a vasectomy because this issue is hard to study, is dependent upon many different variables, and can take a long time to become evident.

An emotional reaction to vasectomy is not always vasectomy regret. Although regret can be a component of emotional reactions regarding vasectomy, an emotional reaction is more appropriately considered a direct psychological effect caused by the vasectomy. Examples of emotional changes would be changes in general self-perception, a perceived decrease in masculinity, anxiety over not being able to father children, changes in relationship harmony, and changes in sexual satisfaction.

Most men who have a vasectomy will a high level of satisfaction with their procedure and have no change in their sexual desire. Some men report increased sexual satisfaction because the fear of causing an unintended pregnancy during sexual intercourse has been greatly reduced. Alternatively a smaller number of men will report dissatisfaction with their vasectomy and decreased sexual desire. Often these reports come from men who have other problems like pre-existing depression and relationship problems.

Risk factors for emotional issues after vasectomy

The strongest risk factor for psychological issues after vasectomy is men who are in disagreement with their partner about having a vasectomy. Often these men reluctantly chose vasectomy and feel pressured, forced, or otherwise bullied into having a vasectomy procedure. These men are at risk for expressing regret and having negative feelings after their vasectomy procedure.

Although most men report high satisfaction rates with their vasectomy, patients must acknowledge they often leave the vasectomy procedure with the same emotional baggage they brought with them to the procedure and vasectomy is one of the additional life’s stressor that helps tips the psychological balance.