Recession drove many men to opt for vasectomy, Wisconsin researchers found.
A country's economy and its reproduction rate have a very long and complex history. It is believed that when times are hard financially, children make it harder to cope with such difficult times. But in many agrarian economies children are considered an asset.
However, the 2008 financial crisis forced many men to opt for vasectomy. In fact, a new study by researchers from Wisconsin found that many men opted for this surgery even before recession set in. The findings of their study revealed that men who underwent vasectomy during the years 2005 and 2008 had an average of 3.1 children. This number dropped to 2.3 following the 2008 recession.
"There is much folklore associated with the relationship between economic conditions and reproduction. It is nice to have some actual data," said Grace Centola, PhD, President of the Society for Male Reproduction and Urology.
In a contradicting report, Laura Lindberg, a senior research associate at the Guttmacher Institute, said that she was not convinced that the large number of men who went under the knife was a direct consequence of recession. Even if so, the study conducted by Wisconsin researchers doesn't prove so. This is because the study failed to provide evidence that the men who underwent the surgery had low incomes.
"Vasectomy remains a method chosen by higher-income, more highly educated men, so you have a real divide. White, educated men have vasectomies and men of color, and those not highly educated, do not," she added.
The economy does affect family planning decisions, Lindberg noted. In the summer of 2009, Guttmacher interviewed 947 women, aged 18 to 34, with household incomes of less than $75,000. Sixty-four percent said that with the state of the economy at that time, they could not afford to have a baby right then. The more financially strapped they were, the more likely they were to say this, Lindberg said.
The findings were presented at the International Federation of Fertility Societies (IFFS).
In a vasectomy, the sperm-transport system is interrupted by blocking the structure known as the vas deferens, which carries sperm from the testicle to the urethra. If a man changes his mind about wanting children, a reversal often can be done.
