Vasectomy Boom
By: Eric Glasser, WPTV
Updated: March 11, 2009
Johnny Delgado and his wife Leemary love their kids, but Johnny says with two boys from a previous marriage and two young girls from this one, it's all his paycheck as a city bus driver can stand."The way the economy is, it's just tough the way society is coming up these days," he said.
Mike Binnix says it's the same for him and his wife, Valerie.
In their case, one son and two daughters is their limit.
"Too expensive," to think of having more says Mike, "You know it's hard enough having three if you ask me."
Both men specifically mentioned the tough economy when it comes to family planning, which is a theme doctors like Lake Worth, Florida urologist Dr. Ross Cohen are hearing more often these days when men walk through the door to discuss having a vasectomy.
Dr. Cohen says he's performed about 2,000 of the procedures in his 20 year career.
"Definitely within the last two or three years that's been more significant," he says about the economic concerns, "But even this year I'd say an even more significant number have come in for consultations."
Dr. Cohen says at this point it's just an observation, but he's willing to bet more and more men are choosing vasectomies these days as a form of birth control.
"They really can't afford to have any more children than they already have," they tell him, "Just because of the expense of raising a child."
A vasectomy, says Dr. Cohen, is also covered by insurance in many cases, making it a less expensive option than the pill and other forms of contraception.
It's also far less invasive a procedure than the female form of sterilization know as tubal ligation.
For Binnix and Delgado it's not yet yet an alternative they would choose, but both say they can see why perhaps a growing number of men in their age group, might.
"It's hard times. You can't really afford to have kids, you know," said Binnix, "That's just my opinion."
There's an economic correlation too.
The United States also saw a big drop-off in the birth rate during the great depression and economic downturn of the 1970s.
