Study: A Thematic Analysis of Online Discussion Boards for Vasectomy (2018)
A Thematic Analysis of Online Discussion Boards for Vasectomy
Mary K. Samplaski
Online discussion boards were identified via an Internet search using the search term “vasectomy” in Google and Yahoo! search engines. ... Posts from January 1, 2012 through October 1, 2016 were examined.
Three discussion boards were identified as having substantially more posts than other websites and were chosen for analysis: “DailyStrength.org”, “Ehealthforum.com”, and “Realself.com.” Within these discussion boards, 129 posts were identified and analyzed.
As expected, there were groups of posts related to “pain during” and “pain after vasectomy.” Men expressed concerns related to what is a normal amount of pain after a vasectomy and how to manage this pain. Some of these related to narcotics vs non-narcotics, ice packs, or the need for vasectomy reversal for pain. There were also a group of posts related to “prolonged pain after vasectomy,” which was the area with second most number of comments.
Also as expected, there were groups of posts related to “sexual activity after vasectomy” and “change in sexual function after vasectomy.” The former was a group of posts about duration of restriction of sexual activity after vasectomy. The latter were postings related to unexpected genital or sexual issues after vasectomy. A number of men posted that they experienced a decline in sexual drive, erection quality, strength of ejaculate force, and less intense orgasm after vasectomy. This was the area with the most comments.
There was a section related to “patient feelings after vasectomy,” which included both sentiments of regret and concerns that vasectomy was not adequately explained to them. However, there were also men who reported that they had a positive experience with vasectomy in this section.
We found that the most common posts related to changes in sexual function after vasectomy. Specific concerns related to shortening of the penis, decline in sexual drive, erectile dysfunction, delay in orgasm, less intense orgasm, and decline in ejaculate volume after vasectomy. An Australian study of 3390 vasectomized men found that sexual problems are no more prevalent among vasectomized men as compared with nonvasectomized men. Likewise, the 2012 American Urological Association Guidelines on Vasectomy state that:
Overall, it appears that for the vast majority of men who undergo vasectomy, there are no negative effects on sexual function. Many patients are concerned that vasectomy may cause changes in sexual function such as erectile dysfunction, reduced or absent orgasmic sensation, decreased ejaculate volume, reduced sexual interest, decreased genital sensation and/or diminished sexual pleasure. Patients may be reassured that there is no evidence that any of these problems are caused by vasectomy.
However, regardless of these data, these data show us that these are still clearly concerns that men have, and the men who experience them blame the vasectomy.
What these data tell us is that we should be targeting educational efforts at, among other aspects, expectations after vasectomy. Specifically, men need to know that the data do not support a change in sexual function and what type of pain to expect after a vasectomy.
Patients may be turning to Internet discussion boards for information that is told in words that they can more easily understand. This underscores the important of minimizing medical jargon when we see these patients in the clinic, and for providing them with high-quality online resources for postclinic information. Providing them with high-quality information post vasectomy will also allow patients to know when to seek medical attention in the event that patients are having issues after their procedure. Too often patients seek medical advice from the Internet and not their providers.
Conclusion
Online discussion boards allow men undergoing vasectomy to ask questions about the procedure and their postprocedural course. Posts dedicated to postvasectomy pain and sexual dysfunction were of the highest quantity. Educational efforts should be targeted to these areas. Moving forward, the addition of health-care provider guidance to these discussion boards would likely facilitate the distribution of more evidence-based medical information.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0090429517309998
Comments from u/postvasectomy:
Dr. Samplaski published another study with a somewhat similar method last year:
Posted Oct 6, 2025, 7:06 PM UTC