If you've used TikTok recently, you may have noticed a slightly off-kilter trend: men around the world are sharing rave reviews about their vasectomies. What started as a response to the overturning of Roe vs Wade in the US in July has taken on a life of its own. Uploads with the hashtag #vasectomy have been viewed more than 579 million times, and there are 30 million views on #snipsniphooray, which, among other things, details hilarious and inventive care packages significant others have for after the procedure.
Here in Australia, we thankfully don't have the same challenges with access to legal abortion, but vasectomies are still trending, particularly among young people who don't want kids. According to Medicare, the procedure for men and people with penises aged between 25 and 34 jumped 22 per cent in 2020-21 – an increase of 40 per cent since 2014-15.
Dr Geoff Cashion, a surgeon with Vasectomy Australia, says inquiries have doubled during the past six months. “We've seen a huge spike. I'm currently doing 80 vasectomies a week.”
Are men finally fed up with having very little in the way of reproductive control? Or perhaps it's women who are tired of carrying the contraceptive burden?
Data from Marie Stopes International shows contraceptive pill prescriptions in Australia averaged 33,500 in 2021 (down from
