Infertility, impotence, and emasculation - psychosocial contexts for abandoning reproduction
From a Darwinian perspective we live to reproduce, but in various situations genetic males elect not to reproduce by choosing medical treatments leading to infertility, impotence, and, in the extreme, emasculation. For many men, infertility can be psychologically distressing. However, for certain ge...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2016-01-01
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| Series: | Asian Journal of Andrology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.ajandrology.com/article.asp?issn=1008-682X;year=2016;volume=18;issue=3;spage=403;epage=408;aulast=Wibowo |
| _version_ | 1819146853730484224 |
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| author | Erik Wibowo Thomas W Johnson Richard J Wassersug |
| author_facet | Erik Wibowo Thomas W Johnson Richard J Wassersug |
| author_sort | Erik Wibowo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | From a Darwinian perspective we live to reproduce, but in various situations genetic males elect not to reproduce by choosing medical treatments leading to infertility, impotence, and, in the extreme, emasculation. For many men, infertility can be psychologically distressing. However, for certain genetic males, being infertile may improve their quality of life. Examples include (1) men who seek vasectomy, (2) individuals with Gender Dysphoria (e.g., transwomen, and modern day voluntary eunuchs), (3) most gay men, and (4) men treated for testicular and prostate cancer. Men who desire vasectomy typically have a Darwinian fitness W >1 at the time of their vasectomies; i.e., after they have their desired number of offspring or consider themselves past an age for parenting newborns. In contrast, prostate and testicular cancer patients, along with individuals with extreme Gender Dysphoria, do not necessarily seek to be sterile, but accept it as an unavoidable consequence of the treatment for their condition undertaken for survival (in case of cancer patients) or to achieve a better quality of life (for those with Gender Dysphoria). Most gay men do not father children, but they may play an avuncular role, providing for their siblings′ offspring′s welfare, thus improving their inclusive fitness through kin selection. In a strictly Darwinian model, the primary motivation for all individuals is to reproduce, but there are many situations for men to remove themselves from the breeding populations because they have achieved a fitness W ≥1, or have stronger medical or psychological needs that preclude remaining fertile. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T13:20:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c0a97a8defef45349c9473e4ede75575 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1008-682X 1745-7262 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T13:20:32Z |
| publishDate | 2016-01-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Asian Journal of Andrology |
| spelling | doaj.art-c0a97a8defef45349c9473e4ede755752022-12-21T18:24:29ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsAsian Journal of Andrology1008-682X1745-72622016-01-0118340340810.4103/1008-682X.173937Infertility, impotence, and emasculation - psychosocial contexts for abandoning reproductionErik WibowoThomas W JohnsonRichard J WassersugFrom a Darwinian perspective we live to reproduce, but in various situations genetic males elect not to reproduce by choosing medical treatments leading to infertility, impotence, and, in the extreme, emasculation. For many men, infertility can be psychologically distressing. However, for certain genetic males, being infertile may improve their quality of life. Examples include (1) men who seek vasectomy, (2) individuals with Gender Dysphoria (e.g., transwomen, and modern day voluntary eunuchs), (3) most gay men, and (4) men treated for testicular and prostate cancer. Men who desire vasectomy typically have a Darwinian fitness W >1 at the time of their vasectomies; i.e., after they have their desired number of offspring or consider themselves past an age for parenting newborns. In contrast, prostate and testicular cancer patients, along with individuals with extreme Gender Dysphoria, do not necessarily seek to be sterile, but accept it as an unavoidable consequence of the treatment for their condition undertaken for survival (in case of cancer patients) or to achieve a better quality of life (for those with Gender Dysphoria). Most gay men do not father children, but they may play an avuncular role, providing for their siblings′ offspring′s welfare, thus improving their inclusive fitness through kin selection. In a strictly Darwinian model, the primary motivation for all individuals is to reproduce, but there are many situations for men to remove themselves from the breeding populations because they have achieved a fitness W ≥1, or have stronger medical or psychological needs that preclude remaining fertile.http://www.ajandrology.com/article.asp?issn=1008-682X;year=2016;volume=18;issue=3;spage=403;epage=408;aulast=Wibowoemasculation; impotence; infertility; psychological distress |
| spellingShingle | Erik Wibowo Thomas W Johnson Richard J Wassersug Infertility, impotence, and emasculation - psychosocial contexts for abandoning reproduction Asian Journal of Andrology emasculation; impotence; infertility; psychological distress |
| title | Infertility, impotence, and emasculation - psychosocial contexts for abandoning reproduction |
| title_full | Infertility, impotence, and emasculation - psychosocial contexts for abandoning reproduction |
| title_fullStr | Infertility, impotence, and emasculation - psychosocial contexts for abandoning reproduction |
| title_full_unstemmed | Infertility, impotence, and emasculation - psychosocial contexts for abandoning reproduction |
| title_short | Infertility, impotence, and emasculation - psychosocial contexts for abandoning reproduction |
| title_sort | infertility impotence and emasculation psychosocial contexts for abandoning reproduction |
| topic | emasculation; impotence; infertility; psychological distress |
| url | http://www.ajandrology.com/article.asp?issn=1008-682X;year=2016;volume=18;issue=3;spage=403;epage=408;aulast=Wibowo |
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