Masculinity-Femininity and the Desire for Sexual Intercourse After Vasectomy: A Longitudinal Study

Abstract

This research was concerned with the question of whether masculinity-femininity is related to postoperative changes in desire for intercourse among men who underwent vasectomy. Sexual desire was assumed at the outset to be a positive characteristic associated with masculinity among males with its expression being a means of reaffirming a sense of masculinity. The hypothesis was that masculinity would have a positive effect on changes in the desire for intercourse following vasectomy. Of the initial 176 couples who filled out questionnaires 75 actively participated in follow-up and furnished data for this analysis. This group was compared to the group who did not furnish follow-up data and the 2 groups were found not to differ significantly with respect to masculinity femininity age or education. Masculinity was positively and significantly related to the postsurgical expression of increase in desire for sexual intercourse among vasectomized men. There is support then for the notion that response to vasectomy may sometimes involve compensation in those men who would likely perceive vasectomy as demasculinizing. 1 negative finding was that androgynous males do not alter their desire following vasectomy.