March Madness is the most popular time for vasectomies

With the countdown to March Madness only hours away, most people already have their brackets filled out and ready for the games to begin.

But that’s just part of preparing for the tournament that starts on Thursday. The problem? It’s in the middle of the week – and some men are going to great lengths to come up with the best excuse to stay home and watch two days of uninterrupted college basketball.

The solution? Vasectomies.

Dr. Peter Jones with Portneuf Urology Specialists can agree – he sees an uptick in the number of patients coming in for this procedure at the start of the NCAA tournament.

“They’re all told it’s about 48 hours of laying low, relax, sit on the couch, and watch T.V.,” Jones said. “It’s kind of a perfect excuse for them to say, ‘hey, it’s time to get it done.'”

He said over the past five years, there has been about a 400 percent increase in the number of men coming in to get this procedure done. That number has doubled in this past year, alone. He said that’s most likely due to insurance companies more leniently covering the procedure more than other forms of birth control.

But, during the start of March Madness, he said urologists usually see a 50 percent jump in the number of guys who come in.

Jones added, this is usually a quick, harmless procedure which takes roughly between 10 and 15 minutes. He said while some urologists schedule consultations in advance of the actual procedure, he could do it all in the same visit.

And for recovery time?

He said 48 hours with an ice pack and plenty of basketball – and of course, pizza and wings.

You know – doctor’s orders.