Going for the snip . . . join the ‘bro-sectomy’ party

A growing number of American men are celebrating a new rite of passage that binds them together like brothers, even as other parts get sealed up for ever: at urology clinics all over the country they are holding vasectomy parties.

‘‘We’ve started to see some guys who are interested in doing it together, as a group,’’ Marc Richman, a urologist in Virginia, said. ‘‘If they are going to jump in the deep end, they’d like to have a buddy to swim with them.’’

To cater to demand for the socalled bro-sectomy, some urology clinics have begun offering the amenities, drinks and decor that men might expect from their favourite sports bar. Dr Richman’s practice, Obsidian Men’s Health, is among them.

‘‘We are giving them a spa-like experience,’’ he said. ‘‘If they like a specific 18-year-old bottle of Macallan scotch, we will get it in for them.’’

They can’t have the surgery together, but they do get to decide who goes first. ‘‘They draw straws or something. The one gent will relax while his buddy goes.’’ Afterwards, ‘‘they can spend some time together and have a beer,’’ Dr Richman said. ‘‘If they are really excited about not having more children, they might have champagne.’’

The clinic may also lay on a steak dinner while the patients are monitored for 90 minutes after the surgery. ‘‘Then we arrange a car home.’’

Rob Ferretti, 36, who recently had a vasectomy along with his friend Jeb Lopez, both performed by Dr Richman’s colleague, described the procedure as a marvellous day out. ‘‘I guess it’s from the alcohol,’’ he told The Wall Street Journal. ‘‘But we had a great time.’’

A California urologist named Paul Turek told the paper he performs the operations to jazz music. One recent party of patients, colleagues from a biotech firm, arrived at one of his clinics in a limousine, like high school seniors on prom night. ‘‘I move like the wind,’’ he said.

Men are encouraged to plan ahead, having the snip together on the eve of significant sporting events. At Urology of Indiana, a recent advertisement boasted of the benefits of having one’s tubes sealed up before the opening weekend of the ‘‘March madness’’ basketball season – a time when many men might want to spend a weekend sitting still on the sofa, and could easily do so with a packet of ice between their legs.

‘‘How to spend three days on the couch watching basketball,’’ the clinic declared in an advertisement. ‘‘Schedule your vasectomy at Urology of Indiana for a Thursday or Friday, then sit back, relax, and catch the games over the weekend while you recover. It’s wife-approved couch time!"