Online searches for vasectomy information skyrocket after Supreme Court draft opinion leak

Online searches for information about vasectomy procedures have skyrocketed in the days since a draft opinion of a Supreme Court decision leaked last week indicating the high court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade.

According to Innerbody Research, a home health company, Google searches for vasectomies increased 99 percent since the leaked draft was published by Politico last Monday. In addition, the research showed searches for “is a vasectomy reversible” and “how much is a vasectomy” also increased 250% since last week.

“The analysis suggests that the conversation about male birth control options is becoming more prevalent,” Madyson St. John, a researcher on behalf of Innerbody Research, told TODAY Parents. “Men are joining the conversation around reproductive rights and some are stepping up to help prevent unwanted pregnancies themselves.”

Perhaps not surprisingly, the states with the highest number of searches for “vasectomy near me” were Michigan, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio and Florida, all of whom have or are set to pass restrictive abortion legislation. 

“It doesn’t surprise me that there’s more people interested in the procedure. I’m seeing more young people who don’t have children and who are committed to not having children, much more than I ever have in the past,” said Dr. Jed Kaminetsky, a urologist and clinical assistant professor at NYU Medical Center.

A vasectomy is a procedure in which a urologist pulls up the vas deferens, divides and ties it, cutting off access of sperm from the testicles to the urethra. If the patient has a negative sperm test two weeks after the procedure, it was successful.