Don’t Discount the Value of Vasectomy Reversal

Completing your family can be incredibly gratifying. Many people think long and hard about how many children they want to have and when they will stop having children. Often, this decision is made on the spot, with a sense of knowing that “this is it for us.” In most cases, once that door to having more children is closed, it never reopens. However, the unpredictability of life can disrupt such a decision. For the man who has undergone a vasectomy, the idea of future children may seem far-fetched. It doesn’t have to be. Vasectomy reversal offers hope to the vast majority of men who are interested in reinstating their fertility.

Pregnancy Success after Vasectomy Reversal

Historically, vasectomy has been perceived as a permanent form of birth control. However, in recent years, vasectomy reversal has become increasingly common. While it is impossible to guarantee complete success in every case, men are often surprised that their chances are far better than they imagine. According to statistics, approximately 76 percent of men who undergo vasectomy reversal within three years of their initial procedure are able to father children. Though success rates are lower (30%), men whose vasectomy reversal is performed more than a decade before their initial procedure may also be able to father more children.

Factors that Relate to Vasectomy Reversal Success

There are two ways in which vasectomy reversal success is measured. One is the presence of sperm in the patient’s ejaculate. The other is pregnancy. Generally, when sperm is identified in vasal fluid at the time of surgery, the procedure is considered a success. Conception after vasectomy reversal is affected by other contributing factors, though, including the age of the parents and the condition of the epididymis, the duct through which sperm travels.

Is IVF a Better Option?

Both IVF and vasectomy reversal are worth consideration for couples who wish to become pregnant after a man has had a vasectomy. When IVF is performed in such an instance, sperm is surgically extracted from the male partner. Eggs are extracted from the female partner, and the two meet in a laboratory setting. The entire IVF process is quite involved and requires multiple procedures for many couples. This increases the cost of care but does not significantly increase the likelihood of conceiving. Studies suggest that approximately 40% of IVF couples complete a successful pregnancy, while 43% of vasectomy reversal couples achieve the same.

We are here to help you navigate your option for vasectomy reversal in Chattanooga, TN. For more information, call (423) 778-8765.