# I've Had a Vasectomy. I Am: **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 20, 2011, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-had-a-vasectomy-i-am/596946 "2011-09-20T14:27:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-had-a-vasectomy-i-am/596946/21 "2011-09-20T18:21:55Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > False, impotent can either mean inability to achieve erection or general inability to father a child. Not so (although I used to think that too): [QUOTE=OED] **Impotent** Pronunciation:/ˈimpətnt/ adjective 1 unable to take effective action; helpless or powerless: he was seized with an impotent anger 2 (of a man) abnormally unable to achieve a sexual erection. (of a male animal) unable to copulate. [/QUOTE] Also not so about fertility: > [@](#): > > **fertile** > Pronunciation:/ˈfərtl/ > adjective > > \ > > (of a person, animal, or plant) able to conceive young or produce seed ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2011, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-had-a-vasectomy-i-am/596946/22 "2011-09-20T18:39:47Z")
(old joke told by Orson Bean on _Match Game_ ca. 1974) > [@](#): > > My grandfather went to the doctor because he was afraid he was losing his potency. The doctor said, “Well, when have you been having problems?” > > My grandfather said, “Twice last night, and once again this morning.” ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2011, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-had-a-vasectomy-i-am/596946/23 "2011-09-20T18:59:55Z")
Vasecto-Master! ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-had-a-vasectomy-i-am/596946/24 "2011-09-20T19:11:19Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > All men are infertile. Only women can be fertile. That’s a very silly statement, sir. Men as well as women can be infertile or fertile, as both sexes are required for sexual reproduction. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2011, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-had-a-vasectomy-i-am/596946/25 "2011-09-20T19:44:10Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > False, impotent can either mean inability to achieve erection or general inability to father a child. > > I false your false. Men can be virile or potent, but they cannot be fertile. Fertility denotes the side where the seed is grown, not the side that contributes the seed. Nope and …errr… nope. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2011, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-had-a-vasectomy-i-am/596946/26 "2011-09-20T20:01:23Z")
Sorry, yep. “Fertile” is from Latin “to bear.” Only the female bears. As for “[impotent](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/impotence)” – > [@](#): > > 1. the condition or quality of being impotent; weakness. > 2. chronic inability to attain or sustain an erection for the performance of a sexual act. > 3. **sterility, especially in the male.** ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-had-a-vasectomy-i-am/596946/27 "2011-09-20T20:21:27Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > “Fertile” is from Latin “to bear.” Only the female bears. So what? The meaning of words in modern English is not determined solely by the etymology of their sources in earlier languages. “Fertile” and “infertile” are indeed used in modern English to refer to males as well as females, as previous posters have correctly pointed out. “Impotent” is less useful in this context because of the potential confusion with erectile dysfunction, as opposed to reproductive sterility. “Infertile”, on the other hand, is an unambiguous, generally understood, and accurate equivalent for “reproductively sterile”, and applies to both men and women. Perhaps you personally would rather not have the recognized meanings of English words evolve in a different direction from the logical implications of their origins, but there’s not a lot you or anybody else can do about it. Refusing to acknowledge that such semantic evolution occurs doesn’t accomplish anything except to spread confusion and waste time. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2011, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-had-a-vasectomy-i-am/596946/28 "2011-09-20T20:34:10Z")
I think I just figured out why I’ve got that Henery the 8th song stuck in my head. ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Imp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Imp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Imp)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2011, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-had-a-vasectomy-i-am/596946/29 "2011-09-20T20:47:11Z")
A Jaffa. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-had-a-vasectomy-i-am/596946/30 "2011-09-21T00:00:52Z")
You’re a **eunuch**! (I got snipped in '93!) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-had-a-vasectomy-i-am/596946/31 "2011-09-21T00:07:46Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Sorry, yep. > > “Fertile” is from Latin “to bear.” Only the female bears. > > As for “[impotent](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/impotence)” – My dictionary is better than your dictionary. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-had-a-vasectomy-i-am/596946/32 "2011-09-21T05:31:20Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > You’re a **eunuch**! > > (I got snipped in '93!) If any more of you guys show up we’ll have to get a eunuch’s administrator to keep everyone sorted out. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-had-a-vasectomy-i-am/596946/33 "2011-09-21T12:19:12Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > “Fertile” is from Latin “to bear.” Only the female bears. Sorry, wrong again. Fertile is from the Latin \*fertilatatem, \*from _fertilis -_ “to bear in abundance, fruitful, or productive.” Yes, the one of the root origins is _ferre_ - “to bear” but that isn’t the meaning of the whole word. You don’t call your mother a moth or your country, a … and all that. That said, I’m not sure female bears have to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-had-a-vasectomy-i-am/596946/34 "2011-09-21T12:29:39Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Sorry, yep. > > As for “[impotent](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/impotence)” – Aha! Caught you! Your link points to the definition for [impotence](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/impotence) not the definition of [impotent](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/impotent) which does not include sterility. > [@](#): > > 1. not potent; lacking power or ability. > 2. utterly unable (to do something). > 3. without force or effectiveness. > 4. lacking bodily strength or physically helpless. > 5. (of a male) unable to attain or sustain a penile erection. LOL if your going to cite [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com), please read your own links. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-had-a-vasectomy-i-am/596946/35 "2011-09-21T12:33:24Z")
I tell people they had me fixed. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-had-a-vasectomy-i-am/596946/36 "2011-09-21T12:41:14Z")
Converted from the family model to a sports model. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-had-a-vasectomy-i-am/596946/37 "2011-09-21T14:29:08Z")
> [@Sparky812](#): > > Aha! Caught you! > Your link points to the definition for [impotence](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/impotence) not the definition of [impotent](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/impotent) which does not include sterility. Considering that the very first definition of “impotence” is “the quality of being impotent,” I don’t really see a pwn here. If “impotence” can mean the quality of being sterile then by necessity “impotent” can mean sterile. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-had-a-vasectomy-i-am/596946/38 "2011-09-21T14:54:49Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Considering that the very first definition of “impotence” is “the quality of being impotent,” I don’t really see a pwn here. If “impotence” can mean the quality of being sterile then by necessity “impotent” can mean sterile. Hopeless… ---
**Author:** ![PeskiPiksi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e495f1/32.png) [@PeskiPiksi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PeskiPiksi)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-had-a-vasectomy-i-am/596946/39 "2011-09-21T16:25:21Z")
Thought this would be a good place to link to this [article](http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/04/ff_vasectomy/)my husband just emailed me. Seems there’s a new, completely reversible alternative to getting a vasectomy. It sounds pretty cool, but I think hubby is just looking for an out. (He’s going to be undergoing the procedure next week.) I told him, A.) No, you can’t fly to India to be a lab rat for this guy and B) No, we can’t wait until it’s approved by the FDA. Sorry, dude, but next Friday you’re getting snipped whether you like it or not! ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-had-a-vasectomy-i-am/596946/40 "2011-09-21T17:15:00Z")
All along the interstate here are billboards advertising a “no needle, no scalpel vasectomy”. They always make me and my husband snicker, as we try to imagine how exactly it’s done… a mallet? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-had-a-vasectomy-i-am/596946.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-had-a-vasectomy-i-am/596946.md?page=3)