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Vasectomies among men under 30 rise after Roe reversal, study says

The Supreme Court's ruling appears to have caused more people to seek permanent birth control.
A doctor explains a vasectomy using a pencil and model sperm.
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A University of Utah Health study wanted to examine what impact, if any, the decision to reverse Roe v. Wade had on people getting permanent forms of birth control.

What the study found was that men under age 30 were far more likely to undergo a vasectomy after the court's reversal. The results of the study were published recently in the Journal of Urology.

The study involved a review of all individuals over age 18 who had a vasectomy or tubal sterilization before and after the Dobbs v. Jackson ruling in June 2022. The study sought to compare the number of procedures performed from July through December 2021 to those performed from July through December 2022.

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The data indicated that among men under age 30, men in states with strict abortion laws were just as likely to seek a vasectomy as those in states without strict laws.

When age wasn't taken into consideration, the rate of vasectomies was consistently higher in the months pre- and post-Dobbs in states with strict abortion laws.

Meanwhile, the study said there was a significant increase in the rate of patients under age 30 seeking a tubal after the Roe decision was reversed.

"There was a significant increase in patients under 30 years pursuing permanent contraception post-Dobbs," the study said. "The increased rate of vasectomies post-Dobbs was consistent among states regardless of the legal climate, while the increased rate of tubals post-Dobbs was significantly increased in states where abortion was illegal."