You have probably heard it before: Vasectomies spike during March Madness, because what better time for a basketball fan to chill on the couch with an ice pack.

Is this actually true, though? The Herald reached out to Boston-area urologists, with one doctor reporting that he has performed “a lot” of vasectomy procedures this week before the NCAA tournament starts with 12 hours of college basketball a day.

A normal week for Boston-area urologist Stephen Lazarou’s practice is 20 to 30 vasectomies, while the week of March Madness is more than that, he said.

“We’ve been seeing a lot of vasectomies as of late,” Lazarou told the Herald on Wednesday, adding, “It’s a popular time now.”

Urologists tell patients after a vasectomy to take it easy, advising them to relax on the couch. Depending on the type of vasectomy procedure, the patient will be told to apply an ice pack for the first few days.

Watching the basketball tournament while recovering at home is a good way to keep the patient’s mind off the minor discomfort, Lazarou said.

“Men are highly motivated this time of year,” he added of the procedures ahead of the college basketball tournament. “It helps keep their minds occupied.”

March is the most popular month to schedule a vasectomy, according to the Men’s Health Center page for Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital.

“Why? That’s because the recovery for this brief outpatient procedure requires rest on the couch for a couple of days,” the Men’s Health Center adds. “A perfect time to watch the national college basketball tournament.”

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A patient this week told urologist Sarah Miller that they were scheduling a vasectomy around March Madness as an excuse for taking off work and watching the basketball games.

“It’s certainly true that it’s nice to have something enjoyable to do after,” said Miller, of Northeast Vasectomy and Family Planning.

While some practices might have vasectomy promotions around March Madness, there’s also a seasonal rise in vasectomies at the end of the year.

“We have people coming in during December, when their deductibles have been met to get a free vasectomy,” Miller said.

A study in 2018 looked at the annual rate of vasectomies performed in the U.S., and whether there was any monthly variation in vasectomy rates. The data was from 2015 when an estimated 527,476 vasectomies were performed.

“The month of March and the end of the year had the highest proportion of vasectomies performed,” the study reads.

Mike Golic, a former football player and ESPN personality who now has a podcast, talked about vasectomies earlier this week.

“This is vasectomy season,” Golic said. “Guys get vasectomies, so they can miss work and watch those Thursday, Friday games. It’s a hell of a price to pay, you know, to watch some basketball.

“But men do it,” he added. “Obviously, they’re going to do it anyway, and they just wait for this time to do it. So they can get their frozen bag of peas, you know, ice themselves down, and watch these upsets in the first round.”

March Madness = Vasectomy SZN

“This is vasectomy season. Guys get vasectomies to miss work and watch those Thursday and Friday games. It’s a hell of a price to pay to watch some basketball.”@golic, @mikegolicjr, and @CBellofattoTV discuss dudes being dudes in March pic.twitter.com/bvNED9qSUw

— GoJo and Golic (@GoJoandGolic) March 18, 2024