On the next Mayo Clinic Radio program, Dr. Sevann Helo, a Mayo Clinic urologist, will discuss vasectomy reversal and male infertility. Also on the program, Dr. Dale Ekbom, a Mayo Clinic otolaryngologist and head and neck surgeon, will explain treatment options for vocal cord paralysis. And Dr. Abdallah El Sabbagh, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist, will discuss mitral valve regurgitation, a heart condition.

Learn more about vasectomy reversal services

To hear the program, find an affiliate in your area.

Miss the show? Here's the Mayo Clinic Radio podcast.

Use the hashtag #MayoClinicRadio, and tweet your questions.

Mayo Clinic Radio is on iHeartRadio.

Access archived shows or subscribe to the podcast.

Mayo Clinic Radio produces a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic.

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THIS WEEK'S TOP TOPICS
Weight loss and emotional eating
Emotional eating is eating as a way to suppress or soothe negative emotions, such as stress, anger, fear, boredom, sadness and loneliness. Emotional eating often leads to eating too much, especially too much of foods that are sweet, fatty and high in calories. And this can sabotage your weight-loss efforts. When negative emotions threaten to trigger emotional eating, try these nine tips to stay on track.

Winter fitness: Safety tips for exercising outdoors
Frigid temperatures can discourage even the most motivated exercisers. Without motivation, it's tempting to put your exercise regimen on hold for the winter. But you don't have to let cold weather spell the end of your fitness routine. Stay safe, warm and fit with these cold-weather exercise tips.

EXPERT ANSWERS
Does having a vasectomy increase risk for prostate cancer?
There have been many studies on a possible link between between vasectomies and prostate cancer. The best current evidence indicates no increased risk of prostate cancer after a vasectomy. If you're concerned about your prostate cancer risk, though, you should talk with your health care provider about possible symptoms and screening tests. Learn more from Dr. Erik Castle, a Mayo Clinic urologist.

Can coconut oil cure hypothyroidism?
While there is no cure for an underactive thyroid, there are claims that coconut oil can relieve symptoms of hypothyroidism. Is the claim truth or hype? Learn more from Dr. Todd Nippoldt, a Mayo Clinic endocrinologist.

PLUS ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
Telestroke (stroke telemedicine)
General anesthesia
Chilblains
Aging parents: 8 warning signs of health problems

HEALTHY RECIPES
Baked ziti with vegetables
Roasted potatoes with garlic and herbs
Sweet potatoes and roasted bananas
Fruitcake

HEALTH TIP OF THE WEEK
Create a family health record
Prepare for a family emergency by gathering important details about your family's health. For each person, this may include medical conditions, allergies, medications, blood type, insurance coverage, and health care providers' names and contact information. Also include advance directives, which are the legal documents that outline decisions about health care such as whether to use life support machines.

Need practical advice on diet and exercise? Want creative solutions for stress and other lifestyle issues? Discover more healthy lifestyle topics at mayoclinic.org.

Receive a free e-subscription to Housecall and other health newsletters.

The post Housecall: Does emotional eating sabotage your weight-loss efforts? appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (1:00) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please 'Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network.' Read the script.

"It's the most reliable form of birth control, other than abstinence, that we have," says Dr. Tobias Kohler, a Mayo Clinic urologist and men's health expert.

He says roughly 15 to 20 percent of American men have vasectomies.

"Vasectomy is a procedure we do in the clinic where we take the vas deferens, which is the tube that connects the testicle to plumbing downstream, and we cut it in the clinic so that sperm can't travel downstream and cause a pregnancy," says Dr. Kohler.

The procedure takes about 10 minutes, and the recovery time is quick.

"If you have the procedure done on a Friday, you'd be back to work Monday for certain," says Dr. Kohler.

You might have some slight swelling or pain initially, so Dr. Kohler advises to take it easy.

"Use ice to the area. Avoid any kind of [vigorous] activity. And watch some TV."

And what about fears that vasectomies might cause problems with a man's sexual performance or testosterone levels?

"They do not," says Dr. Kohler.

Even though 6 percent of men eventually will have their vasectomy reversed, the procedure should be considered permanent.

"This is not one of those things where you want to do spur of the moment," says Dr. Kohler. "You want to make sure that this is absolutely what you want to do."

Learn more about vasectomy services.

The post Mayo Clinic Minute: Why vasectomy is a great option for birth control appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

On the Mayo Clinic Radio podcast, Katherine Zeratsky, a Mayo Clinic registered dietician nutritionist, discusses the keto diet and compares it with other popular diet plans, including the Mediterranean diet; Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, also known as the "DASH diet"; and the Mayo Clinic diet. Also on the podcast, Dr. Tobias Kohler, a Mayo Clinic urologist, explains why vasectomy rates rise in March. And Dr. Jan Buckner, chair of Oncology at Mayo Clinic's Rochester, Minnesota, campus, discusses why deaths from cancer in the U.S. continue a 25-year decline.

The post #MayoClinicRadio podcast: 2/16/19 appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

On the next Mayo Clinic Radio program, Katherine Zeratsky, a Mayo Clinic registered dietician nutritionist, will discuss the keto diet and compare it with other popular diet plans, including the Mediterranean diet; Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, also known as the "DASH diet"; and the Mayo Clinic diet. Also on the program, Dr. Tobias Kohler, a Mayo Clinic urologist, will explain why vasectomy rates rise in March. And Dr. Jan Buckner, chair of Oncology at Mayo Clinic's Rochester, Minnesota, campus, will discuss why deaths from cancer in the U.S. continue a 25-year decline.

To hear the program, find an affiliate in your area.

Miss the show? Here's your Mayo Clinic Radio podcast.

Use the hashtag #MayoClinicRadio, and tweet your questions.

Mayo Clinic Radio is on iHeartRadio.

Access archived shows or subscribe to the podcast.

Mayo Clinic Radio produces a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic.

The post Mayo Clinic Radio: Popular diet trends appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

The post Mayo Clinic Radio: Keto and other diets / vasectomy / U.S. cancer deaths declining appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

When it comes to men’s health, you've likely heard the basics before: Eat right, exercise, get enough sleep, avoid tobacco and limit stress. But other men’s health concerns, such as sexual health and low testosterone levels, also must be addressed as men age. National Men’s Health Week is observed each year before Father’s Day as a yearly reminder for men to take steps to be healthier.

On the next Mayo Clinic Radio program, Dr. Landon Trost, a urologist at Mayo Clinic, will discuss common men's health concerns, including vasectomy and testosterone therapy. Also on the program, Dr. Joseph Murray, a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic, will explain why what you eat before bed can affect your sleep. And Dr. Ahmed Mohamed, a Mayo Clinic resident, will share his journey from Somalian refugee to medical school.

Here's your Mayo Clinic Radio podcast.

The post Men’s Health Week: Mayo Clinic Radio appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

On the next Mayo Clinic Radio program, Dr. Landon Trost, a urologist at Mayo Clinic, will discuss common men's health concerns, including vasectomy and testosterone therapy. Also on the program, Dr. Joseph Murray, a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic, will explain why what you eat before bed can affect your sleep. And Dr. Ahmed Mohamed, a Mayo Clinic resident, will share his journey from Somalian refugee to medical school.

To hear the program, find an affiliate in your area.

Follow #MayoClinicRadio, and tweet your questions.

Mayo Clinic Radio is on iHeartRadio.

Mayo Clinic Radio produces a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic.

Access archived shows.

The post Mayo Clinic Radio: Men’s Health Week appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

On the next Mayo Clinic Radio program, Dr. Landon Trost, a urologist at Mayo Clinic, will discuss common men's health concerns, including vasectomy and testosterone therapy. Also on the program, Dr. Joseph Murray, a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic, will explain why what you eat before bed can affect your sleep. And Dr. Ahmed Mohamed, a Mayo Clinic resident, will share his journey from Somalian refugee to medical school.

To hear the program, find an affiliate in your area.

Miss this show?  Here's your Mayo Clinic Radio podcast.

Follow #MayoClinicRadio, and tweet your questions.

Mayo Clinic Radio is on iHeartRadio.

Mayo Clinic Radio produces a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic.

Access archived shows.

The post Mayo Clinic Radio: Men’s Health Week / worst things to eat before bed / from refugee to physician appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ANSWER: For most men, vasectomy reversal is a viable option at any time. But the amount of time since your vasectomy can have an effect on the likelihood of the procedure’s success. The type of surgery you require to achieve the reversal makes a difference, too. It’s also important to take into consideration other factors that can have an impact on fertility, such as your partner’s age.

The purpose of vasectomy reversal is to allow sperm to travel from the testicles into the semen. There are two ways a vasectomy reversal can be performed. The first is a simpler repair called a vasovasostomy. In this procedure, the ends of the vas deferens (tubes that carry sperm from the testicles into the semen that were cut apart during a vasectomy) are sewn back together. The second procedure, known as epididymovasostomy, is more complex. It involves attaching the vas deferens directly to the small organ at the back of each testicle that holds sperm, called the epididymis.

It is hard to predict before a vasectomy reversal which technique will be required. At the beginning of the procedure, the surgeon takes a sample of the fluid inside the vas deferens. If it contains sperm, then the simpler technique usually can be used. If it does not contain sperm, scar tissue may be blocking the flow of sperm from the testicles. In that case, the more complex procedure usually is necessary.

The closer you are to the time you had your vasectomy, the more likely it is you will be able to have the simpler procedure. That procedure tends to have a successful outcome more often than the complex procedure. In general, the success rates for vasectomy reversal decline with each year after a vasectomy for about 12 to 15 years. At that point, the success rate levels off.

It is important to note, though, that the definition of success for vasectomy reversal varies widely. While some physicians consider one sperm at any time after surgery to be a measure of success, others define success as a live birth. In general, a return of sperm is seen in more than 70 percent of men who undergo a complex repair on both sides and in more than 95 percent in those who have simple repairs on both sides.

Although pregnancy rates depend on various factors, including partner fertility and age, successful pregnancies occur in more than 75 percent of men undergoing reversal within three years of a vasectomy, compared to approximately 30 percent in those beyond 15 years.

Before you move forward with vasectomy reversal, consider your partner’s fertility, too. Fertility declines in women during the late 30s and beyond. If your partner is older than that, then it may be worthwhile to consider other techniques to help you conceive, such as in vitro fertilization. If she is younger, and she has no other fertility issues, then vasectomy reversal generally is considered the better option, especially if you are interested in having more than one child.

Recovery following vasectomy reversal is similar to that of a vasectomy. Activity usually is restricted for several weeks to allow for healing. In some cases, that may include not having sex. If you require the more complicated repair, that could result in the testicle sitting slightly higher in the scrotum after surgery. As with any surgery, vasectomy reversal carries a small risk of bleeding and infection.

If sperm is able to flow from the testicle into the semen after surgery, and if no other barriers to fertility exist for you or your partner, time to achieving pregnancy after a vasectomy reversal typically ranges from about 12 to 17 months. — Landon Trost, M.D., Urology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

Learn more about vasectomy reversal services

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