March Madness Is Prime Time For Vasectomies
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- It's March Madness -- time for basketball, brackets and ... vasectomies?
Believe it or not, doctors report a surge in vasectomies this time of year.
As CBS 2's Dr. Max Gomez reported, the timing is all about having an excuse to watching a lot of basketball while recovering.
Jeremy Stetler took three days off work during a previous March Madness to have a vasectomy. Under doctor's orders, he stayed home and watched college basketball.
"I got a vasectomy on Tuesday because I figured it was time to stop having kids," he said.
It turns out Stetler is not alone. Urologists report a big increase in vasectomies around the NCAA tournament.
"We see a lot of men who have held off scheduling this until a time of year when they know that they can have some down time and it would be a great time to watch TV or do something else of interest," said Dr. Edmund Sabanegh.
Doctors say they also see more vasectomies around the Super Bowl.
A vasectomy is a surgical procedure for permanent male sterilization. It disconnects the tubes that carry sperm from the testes. It's done with local anesthesia and takes less than 30 minutes. But there's still some icing involved for hours afterward.
Men are typically told to stay in a reclined position while they're icing -- perfect for watching basketball.
"Typically they should take it easy, like on a couch," Sabanegh said. "They will have an ice bag for the first six hours afterwards on and off, and just not doing anything strenuous for a short period."
While vasectomies are very safe, there are several things men should know:
- As with any surgery, there's always a risk of bleeding, swelling or infection
- There's a small chance of a lump developing in the scrotum from leaking sperm
- Vasectomies do not protect against STDs, reduce sex drive or cause erectile dysfunction
- There's no link between vasectomies and either prostate or testicular cancer.
Patients can resume light activities a couple of days after surgery, but they should wait a week or so before strenuous exercise or sex.
Stetler told Gomez he's doing fine and that his brother and four other friends have since gotten vasectomies during March Madness.
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