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Shane Bryson and his wife, Heather, want to focus on adventure.

After talking it over, the Layton residents have scheduled his vasectomy Friday as part of a University of Utah campaign. Shane Bryson said the birth-control procedure is a symbol of their decision to concentrate on their goals and pursue the opportunities life will bring.

"Friday is D-Day," Bryson joked. "I'm excited for this kind of birth control and how it opens up things for me and my family."

He took to leap thanks to the U. Vas Madness campaign, now in its third year, which suggests using recovery time after the outpatient operation to watch the NCAA Tournament. The campaign continues through March 31.

The promotion is a chance to raise awareness about the medical option and its benefits to family planning, according to Lori Williams, associate director of marketing with U. Health Care, who started the campaign in 2015.

A vasectomy, which prevents the release of sperm during ejaculation, takes about 30 minutes and has a recovery time between one to two days.

Williams said despite the program's NCAA Tournament gimmick, the decision to have a vasectomy shouldn't be taken lightly.

"It's a choice any man has whether married or not," she said. "This is a way for men and couples who are done growing their families to take control so there are no 'oopsies' happening in the future."

Williams said the number of vasectomies performed at the U. has increased each year of the campaign, with 45 vasectomies during the push in 2015 and 61 last year — not counting additional procedures scheduled after the campaigns had concluded.

Marcus Perry, campaign manager, said he hopes to build on the success of past years by hitting 100 vasectomies by the end of March.

Appointments can be made at locations in Salt Lake City, Farmington, Orem and South Jordan. All patients will have a consultation prior to the procedure and receive a free recovery kit.

U. vasectomy specialists are adding extra appointment slots as part of the U. initiative, which is also being highlighted in a short video.

"If you're planning on spending your weekends this March watching college basketball," the video asks, "why not take advantage of all that time in front of your TV and get a vasectomy done?"

Perry scheduled his vasectomy during the campaign last year and said the experience transformed him into an advocate for the procedure. His vasectomy, in fact, is featured in the video segment.

With a 22-year-old, 10-year-old and 8-year-old twins, Perry said adding any more family members would be difficult. His wife had asked him for years to consider a vasectomy and, after hearing of U. Vas Madness, Perry concluded it was perfect timing for the recovery.

"I thought why not get this gift for our family and time it out with March Madness," he said. "It was really to give us peace of mind and not having another baby hang over our head. It really calmed our fears because we knew that we were done growing our family."

As for his recovery, Bryson said he's less concerned about college hoops and more about getting back on the climbing wall and hitting the trails as the weather warms up.

"Anybody poking around down there makes me a little nervous," he said. "But it'll be worth it once we can do everything we enjoy doing without (a pregnancy) looming over us."

Email: kgifford@sltrib.com Twitter: @kelgiffo