The economic downturn may have patients cancelling or delaying some elective surgeries, but anecdotal evidence suggests that the recession has actually fueled demand for at least one outpatient procedure: vasectomy.
The Cleveland Clinic’s Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute has experienced a 50 percent surge in vasectomy cases starting around November, just after Wall Street suffered one of its worst months in history, according to a CNN report. Marc Goldstein, MD, surgeon-in-chief of male reproductive medicine and surgery at the Cornell Institute for Reproductive Medicine in New York, also says he’s had a 48 percent increase in vasectomy consultations over the past year.
Both Dr. Goldstein and J. Stephen Jones, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic say they believe the economy is fueling the trend, as families contemplate their ability to raise children when the financial future is uncertain. "They realize they don't have the financial security long-term with what's going on," says Dr. Jones. "Several of them have mentioned, 'We can't afford to have any more children in this economy.'" History shows that the birth rate tends to go down during times of economic hardship.
—Irene Tsikitas
