Men advised to freeze sperm before vasectomy

PRAGUE, June 22 (Reuters) Men should freeze their sperm before having a vasectomy in case they change their mind about having children because the procedure may damage sperm, a fertility expert said.

Vasectomy can be reversed and men have fathered children afterwards. But Professor Nares Sukcharoen, of the Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand, said men who have had a reversal may have an increased risk of damaged sperm.

In a small study of men who had a vasectomy reversal, Sukcharoen and his team found a higher number of chromosome abnormalities in sperm than in men who had not had the surgery.

''The conclusion of the study is that the vasectomy seemed to be the cause of the abnormal sperm,'' he told a press conference at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology yesterday.

''It is advisable to freeze sperm before a vasectomy,'' he added.

Vasectomy is a short, minor surgical procedure done under local anaesthetic. It involves sealing the tubes, or vas deferens, that carry sperm. It does not affect a man's sex drive or performance.

In a vasectomy reversal the tubes are rejoined but the operation is not always successful. Only a small percentage of men seek to have the surgery reversed.

Sukcharoen said more research and larger studies are needed to confirm his results and to answer questions such as whether the problem can be reversed, how long it would take and if babies born after a reversal may have problems.

''We need a lot more evidence and research on this issue before we can be certain of avoiding the dangers,'' he added.

REUTERS MBA RAI0834