March Madness a popular time for vasectomies

The month of March is known for many things: the beginning of Spring, the beginning of Daylight Saving Time, St. Patrick’s Day and March Madness, the biggest college basketball tournament of the year. While the tournament’s “First Four” began on March 14, the madness really picks up pace on Thursday and Friday when 32 games are spread across the first round.

But some people claim March is also known for something else – vasectomies.

Several Health organizations across the country have used the hashtag #VasMadness in promoting the procedure before the NCAA tournament. Even food manufacturer Jack Links Jerky tweeted about the topic. The company has released a “Tender Meat for Tender Meat” care kit giveaway for people undergoing vasectomy before the tournament.

VERIFY investigated whether the March craze is actually a popular time for vasectomy.

Is March a Popular Month for Vasectomies?

Yes, March is a popular month for vasectomies. Experts say March Madness is the main reason for the surge in people getting the procedure.

The Urology Clinic of North Texas says Of the approximately 500,000 men in the US who have vasectomies in a year, a large percentage of them are scheduled in March.

A vasectomy is one medical sterilization procedures this prevents sperm from getting to semen. To perform a vasectomy, a urologist removes a small section of the vas deferens, or spermatic duct, in both testicles. After a vasectomy, the Says the Mayo Clinic A person would need to rest for 24 hours after surgery and avoid heavy activity for up to three days.

Because a vasectomy takes a few days to heal and rest is needed, many men have it done during March Madness so they can watch basketball while they recover. said the Urology Clinic of North Texas website. Urology Austin, another Texas-based clinic, also said Tournament is a popular time to get snipped.

The combination of March Madness and vasectomy started as a marketing ploy, said Dr. Ajay Nangia, urologist at the University of Kansas Health System, told VERIFY.

Nangia believes the trend started in the early to mid-2000s when another urologist used the tournament to lure more sports fans through the clinic’s doors. After that, just as some stores offer pizza specials during the college tournament, other urologists began offering discounted vasectomies.

“And then it started, and then other doctors picked it up, then the media picked it up, then it became, you know, a vicious circle of ‘what’s fact what’s fiction’. And at first it was much more sensationalism, but actually began to come true. An urban legend that actually came true,” Nangia said of the trend.

A 2018 study in the Urology Gold Journal also found that from 2007 to 2015, the month of March and the end of the year – when the insurance deductible was met – had the highest proportion of vasectomies performed. Nangia believes the surge in vasectomies in March, as reported in this study, was due to marketing ploys to attract more patients ahead of March Madness.

My vasectomy doc, a clinic in Spartanburg, South Carolina, has one Note on their website which says, “Join us at My Vasectomy Doc for a no-needle, no-scalpel vasectomy, just in time for March Madness opening weekend!”

And other brands, not just Jack Link’s jerky, are trying to get in on the action. Twisted Tea is Offer vasectomunderwear during March madness. Instead of the traditional frozen pea bag during recovery, the boxer shorts are designed to keep cold beverages close to your nether regions while you watch the tournament.