The healthcare ecosystem continues to adapt to the widespread impacts of the historic legislative decision.
Last year, Komodo published an analysis that highlighted a rise in vasectomies following Dobbs v Jackson, which overturned Roe v Wade. While the impact of this new legislation on female reproductive health has been profound, it has also extended widely to many areas of the healthcare landscape. We had found that in the immediate aftermath of the overturn, vasectomies increased by 20% overall and by 27% in states with restrictive trigger laws.
Now, two years after the historic legislative decision, we’ve updated our analysis to explore whether this trend in vasectomies has continued. We found that the rates of vasectomies have indeed remained elevated. In 2023, 177 out of every 100,000 U.S. men underwent a vasectomy — 13% above the rate prior to the overturn. This 4% drop compared to last year's post-overturn number indicates a sustained interest in permanent contraception among men.
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Men in states that have restrictive abortion laws continued to seek vasectomies at significantly higher rates than the national average, but the number has come down from last year’s post-overturn peak. Missouri's vasectomy rate was highest — 42% higher than the national average. States such as Alabama, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Tennessee have continued to see substantial increases as well.
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Additionally, vasectomy rates have recently increased in states with less restrictive abortion laws. New York experienced a 5% increase from 2022 to 2023, and California saw a 4% increase during the same period.
March was the most popular month in 2023 to undergo a vasectomy, a trend that has been reported elsewhere and is thought to be a preference related to the “March Madness” college basketball tournament, a time that men seem to choose as the most desirable recovery period.
These trends underscore a sustained growth among men for permanent contraception methods in response to evolving reproductive health policies and personal planning preferences. This update further reinforces the impact of legislative changes on personal health decisions and demonstrates the importance of tracking health trends as they emerge. Only with the highest-fidelity real-world evidence can stakeholders get a near real-time view of fast recent changes in the healthcare landscape, allowing them to predict changes in utilization and demand and proactively adapt to new trends as they unfold. In our mission to reduce the burden of disease, we are committed to shedding light on the broad impact of the Dobbs decision as it plays out, including the inherent disparities that will likely continue to grow in its wake.
Read more of our stories following up-to-date trends in healthcare, including the rise of ADHD diagnoses and treatment.
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