March soreness: Now's the time for a vasectomy?

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa - A clinic's ad campaign hits below the belt by urging sport fans to indulge in some alternative March madness: Have a vasectomy on Thursday or Friday then spend the weekend recovering while watching NCAA tournament basketball.

The popular college basketball tournament is called "March madness," with dozens of teams competing to come out on top by process of elimination.

Iowa Clinic marketing executive Jessica Grant tells the Des Moines Register that the campaign is designed to appeal to men whose partners want them to get the snip and who complain they spend too much time in front of the TV.

The ad reads, "After your vasectomy: Stay on couch. 32 games in two days. Return to work on Monday."

Urologist Dr. Mark Kellerman says he thinks the campaign is "a great idea."

The clinic performed 102 vasectomies in March 2010 when the ads debuted. This month, 129 are scheduled.

"It's one of those times of year that guys being sports fans like to capitalize on if they can," Kellerman told the Des Moines Register. "They can get a couple of days off work and a couple days off of responsibility of being a father. They can make it into late second round before they have to get off the couch."