Healthcare officials at Ann Arbor-based Michigan Medicine's specialty clinic in Livonia, Mich., expect to complete 50 to 60 vasectomies during the month of March, up from an average of 27 per month during the rest of the year, according to MLive.
Some Michigan Medicine healthcare experts attribute the spike in vasectomies during March to the annual NCAA March Madness basketball tournament, which usually takes place during the first two weeks of the month.
"Major sporting events are a popular time for men to schedule a vasectomy because we advise them to take it easy for two to three days after the procedure," said James Dupree, MD, an assistant professor of urology at Michigan Medicine. "For most men, this means sitting on the couch in front of their television, and sporting events offer them something to watch while resting."
A 2017 study by athenahealth similarly found urologists affiliated with the organization's physician network performed 30 percent more vasectomies during the first week of March Madness in 2016, compared with an average week during the rest of the year, according to the report.
"Vasectomies are outpatient procedures, they are intended to be permanent means of safe and reliable family planning, but they do require a day or two, or maybe even three days of downtime, which … does usually mean that men take a day or two off work," Dr. Dupree said, according to MLive. "Because we tell them to take it easy for a few days, being able to do something they enjoy while taking it easy is often appealing. For men who enjoy, like I do, the basketball tournament and all of the good games, it provides an opportunity for them."