More young men are getting vasectomies, study reveals

A new study from researchers at the University of Chicago has found that more men are getting vasectomies, including young men who might otherwise be starting families.

From 2014 to 2021, the percentage of all male patients undergoing vasectomies in a given year increased 26%, based on health insurance claims.

The findings were published in the journal Urology.

The relative changes in vasectomy rates were most prominent among men with no children, men with a partner over the age of 35, single men and guys aged 18 to 24.

Throughout the US, men living in rural areas were opting for the procedure more than their urban brothers, except in the Northeast.

“We are anticipating increased consultations for vasectomy in our clinics,” Dr. Omer Raheem, assistant professor of surgery-urology at the University of Chicago Medicine and the lead author of the study, said in a news release.

“It is essential for health care providers to be aware of these trends and proactively offer vasectomy counseling and services to meet the growing needs of patients,” Raheem added.

There are a wide range of personal reasons for the increase in vasectomies, the study authors report, but one catalyst seems to be the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade and made abortions more difficult to get in many states.

Reviews of medical records and Google search trends “have suggested even greater interest in vasectomies after the overturning of Roe v. Wade,” wrote the study’s authors.

“While survey and health insurance claims data from 2022 are not yet available to directly study this relationship, our findings offer valuable context on permanent contraceptive utilization in men in the years leading up to the landmark [Dobbs] decision,” Raheem said.

Another reason for the growing popularity of vasectomies could be the free-wheeling lifestyle that being child-free offers.

One Australian man got a vasectomy at 34 so he and his wife could lead a “selfish” life without kids, which apparently includes lots of naps and vacations.

“It is my chance to enjoy a carefree life,” Heraldo Uribe told South West News Service of living the DINK dream, that is, double income, no kids.

“I made my choice to not have kids,” added his wife Indi. “I’d rather regret not having children than regret having them.”

Some organizations are getting ahead of the rising interest in vasectomies by offering free vasectomies for uninsured and underinsured patients.

Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri will be performing 100 free vasectomies in October for World Vasectomy Day inside a mobile vasectomy vehicle nicknamed “The Nutcracker.”

A vasectomy is a permanent form of contraception in which the vans deferens — the tubes that carry sperm — are closed off, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

In rare cases, sperm might still cross the separated ends of the vas deferens, so the procedure isn’t always 100% effective.

Nonetheless, the vasectomy failure rate of 1 out of every 10,000 cases is much lower than the failure rate of condoms, which is roughly 1 out of every 100 times they’re used.

Overall, the new study underscores the importance of providing diverse contraceptive options, such as vasectomies and male contraceptive pills, the authors wrote.

There is now a minimally invasive procedure called a no-needle, no-scalpel vasectomy, in which no cuts, stitches or sutures are needed. The procedure takes about 20 to 30 minutes.