DEAR DOCTOR K: My wife and I don’t want any more children, so I’ve scheduled a vasectomy. What will happen during the procedure?
DEAR READER: A vasectomy is a minor surgical procedure that will make you unable to father any more children. The sperm that is ejaculated during sex travels through two tubes, one on either side of the scrotum. Each tube is called the vas deferens. A vasectomy cuts or blocks the vas deferens.
DEAR DOCTOR K: I’m a 75-year-old man who recently underwent prostate cancer surgery. I’ve begun to have what I think are hot flashes. I’m baffled, because I thought hot flashes were a female problem. Could I be having male hot flashes?
DEAR READER: In short, the answer is yes. As with hot flashes in women, sex hormones are to blame. Women get hot flashes at menopause, when their estrogen levels drop. In men, the problem is testosterone, a type of hormone called an androgen. More specifically, declining testosterone levels can lead to hot flashes in men.
Dr. Anthony Komaroff is a practicing physician, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and Editor in Chief of Harvard Health Publications. Learn more »
Harvard Health Publications is the publishing division of Harvard Medical School, providing the general public with authoritative, trustworthy, and accessible health information. Learn more »
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