Snip! March Madness vasectomies and sales of frozen peas on the rise

As the nation's elite college basketball teams dream of cutting the nets at the end of March Madness, a lot of men are working on cutting something else: their vas deferens.

Those are the little buddies that carry erectoplasm from a man's baby factories to his blowhole – I really apologize for using all of these medical terms – making it possible to start a family. Shearing and cauterizing the vas deferens, aka a vasectomy, has become a solid excuse to stay home and watch college basketball.

Every year during March Madness, the three-week tournament that determines a champion, men nationwide schedule vasectomies so they might enjoy a few days of uninterrupted basketball. Some call it Vas Madness and urologists often run specials that include pizza coupons.

It's genius. You're on doctor's orders to not only skip work, but to restrict movement; you have everyone's sympathy because a cauterizing gun was employed, you know, down there; and no more babies – it's a win-win-win.

Louisville is a hotbed of college basketball and college basketball vasectomies.

"For the last maybe three weeks we've had a flood of inquiries online," said Angie Marnell, marketing coordinator for Louisville's First Urology, which has around 50 patients in the chute. "We have 27 urologists available to do vasectomies so we can spread those guys out and get them all taken care of."

And this happens in other areas of the country, too. The Cleveland Clinic reported a 10 percent increase in the number of vasectomies before March Madness between 2014 and 2016, according to an article from Men's Health.

Recovery only takes a few days so careful planning pays off, and doctors recommend keeping a supply of frozen peas handy for the pain and swelling. Local Kroger stores, perhaps not coincidentally, have them on sale this week for 88 cents.

Reporter Jeffrey Lee Puckett can be reached at 502-582-4160 and jpuckett@courier-journal.com.