How Much Does Vasectomy Reversal Cost?
Getting the bad news out the way first, vasectomy reversal costs can be anywhere from about $5000 on up to about $20,000. The least I found in an online search was around $7500.Depending on if you will have to travel to the doctor, some of the below factors can add to this basic cost.
And the worse news is that your insurance company most likely will not cover the cost of your vasectomy reversal. A reversal is considered by most insurance carriers as an elective procedure. They may cover some of the pre-op testing, so be sure to check that out with your health insurance provider.
What Factors Make Up the Vasectomy Reversal Costs?
What the vasectomy reversal cost is really going to be depends upon several factors. These factors are usually the surgeon’s fees, the anesthesiologist fee and anesthetic costs, charges for the surgical facility, and any extra required for testing.
Additionally you may wish, or your doctor may encourage you, to have some sperm harvested and frozen while undergoing the reversal just in case. This will add to your vasectomy reversal costs. There will be an on-going storage fee for the frozen sperm as well so make sure you can handle this fee.
Although many vasectomy reversals are done in an outpatient surgical facility, your doctor may prefer to actually have you admitted to a hospital. This hospital stay will add to your costs.
Where Your Surgeon Operates Can Affect Vasectomy Reversal Costs
This brings up a side note. Before selecting a doctor, be sure to question him as to how many of these microsurgeries he performs each year. If he performs less than 20, you may want to look elsewhere, including out of state, for a more proficient microsurgeon.
If you do need to pursue a specialist out of state, your hotel costs, travel costs and food costs will add to the bottom line. Consider as well that most doctors will want to do a follow-up check in 10 days to 2 weeks. Some will work with you to have this done locally.
Your Anesthesia and Its Affect on Cost
As mentioned above, one of the fees you must consider is the anesthesiologist fee and anesthetic costs. These will vary depending upon whether your surgery is conducted under general anesthesia or you are given a local.
Some doctors definitely prefer a sleeping patient. The more anesthesia used, the higher the fees. If you are under, most likely an anesthesiologist will have to remain standing by and that adds to your overall vasectomy reversal cost as well.
Complications Can Add to the Overall Vasectomy Reversal Cost
In some cases the doctor will find he needs to perform the more difficult procedure of vasoepididymostomy. Your doctor may add more to the fees he charges if this is so. He may not know till the surgery actually begins if this will happen, so be sure to ask about the possibility up front and what the additional fees will be, if any.
Here are some last notes about vasectomy reversal costs. If this surgery is a second or more attempt, your present doctor may charge higher fees. Most doctors will require payment up front before the surgery is done. And keep track of all your expenses. Although things change constantly with the IRS, you will find that if your overall vasectomy reversal cost, including your travel expenses, exceed 7.5% of your gross income, it just might be tax deductible. So keep track of everything.
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What Is Vasectomy Reversal
No doubt you are here because you want to learn a bit about vasectomy reversal surgery. If so, it’s most likely that you are now in a new relationship where the two of you want a child of your own. To do so, you must get your vasectomy reversed.
A vasectomy reversal surgery seeks to rejoin the tubes, the vas deferens, that carry semen and enable fertilization to take place. These tubes were cut in the original vasectomy and must be put back together so the seminal fluid, hopefully carrying adequate amounts of semen, can flow once more.
There are many things which must be considered before deciding to go ahead with this surgery. The foremost is probably the vasectomy reversal cost and whether or not there is any kind of financing for vasectomy reversal.
But what other factors need to be considered when thinking of a vasectomy reversal?
Factors Affecting Outcome of Vasectomy Reversal
One of the first factors which you should consider is how long it has been since the original procedure. The more time that passes the less are the chances that the vasectomy reversal surgery will result in the longed for pregnancy. The results of one study gave a 76% chance of pregnancy if performed in under three years, whereas more than 15 years lowered the probability to 30%. This is most likely due to increasing obstructions being formed and antibodies being created within the man’s own body against his sperm.
Age can also be a factor but not necessarily in the way you might think. An older man married to an older woman (we’re talking over 30, going to 40s) is running a sprint against time for the pregnancy to occur. It can take one year, and more likely two, before the sperm are “viable” enough in count or efficacy to fertilize the egg.
Another consideration is just how the original surgery was performed upon the patient. Was there enough tube left? Were the cuts done on straight portions of the vas deferens? Will the rejoined pieces be similar in size? The size of the tube varies along its length.
Additionally, there may have been damage done that could require more extensive surgery to remove obstructions created within the epididymis. Although palpitation before surgery may help to determine if there is such obstructions, your surgeon may not know until he actually “gets inside”. What would have been a simple one hour or faster reconstruction now becomes a three hour surgery.
Vasectomy Reversal Success
Even with an apparently successful vasectomy reversal, pregnancy still may not happen. This could be due to lowered amounts of a protein that enhances fertility. Or the body itself could create antibodies that end up sticking to parts of the sperm causing them to stick together and fail to pierce the egg. This happens to about 50% of men who have vasectomies.
But lest you think this is a totally negative article, the rate of couples who have positive results following a vasectomy reversal surgery among the 4-6% of men pursuing this is 50%. The younger you are and the sooner it is done, the better your chances. One other bright spot is that for couples that have previously had children, the vasectomy reversal procedure resulted in an 80% conception rate.
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What Is the Whole Story of Vasectomy Reversal Success Rates?
If you are here looking for vasectomy reversal success rates, then that means you are interested in reversing your vasectomy to have another child or even more. What you need to understand is what the vasectomy reversal statistics quoted to you by your doctor actually mean.
While your urologist or surgeon could say you have a 97% chance of vasectomy reversal success, you need to know if that is what you are really looking for. Most such quotes from your doctor mean that it is highly likely when undergoing this procedure that you will end up with semen in your fluid again. In this case the doctor is talking about a sperm count that is high enough to be viable and that you are again fertile.
But is that what you really want to know? What you are wanting to know is what the pregnancy rates following a vasectomy reversal are, not just whether or not semen flow at some count is returned. In this case there are many factors that come into play.
Healing Takes Time after Vasectomy Reversal for Success
First you need to know that it can take 3-8 months, or even a bit longer, for sperm counts to return to normal. This is due to the recovery time needed for everything to heal after the vasectomy reversal and to start the sperm transport functioning again.
Much of this relies on a successful reconnection without obstructions or too much scarring in the first place. It is not unheard of for a man to undergo more than one vasectomy reversal surgery especially if he gets the wrong surgeon.
The average time to a successful pregnancy after a reversal is one year. Again there are many factors that play into this but this is probably what you are really wanting to know…what are the chances of your spouse getting pregnant after you undergo the reversal procedure?
Vasectomy Reversal Success Rates Statistics
One source quotes a general 75% pregnancy rate if the original surgery was done less than three years before the reversal. The same source quotes a pregnancy rate of 30% when done after 15 years with good sperm count being achieved in only 71% of men. These seem to be the generally quoted figures in the industry.
However, you will find some doctors actually keep track of their patients and can quote their own vasectomy reversal success rates. While more expensive, you may decide to have such a surgeon perform your operation as this indicates an attention to detail and care for the end result for the patient.
One such doctor quotes a normal sperm count and motility in 98% of his patients that had no epididymal obstruction with 88% achieving pregnancy. He has results for all 6000+ of his patients over the years. Furthermore, his results indicate to him that the length of time since the original vasectomy does not affect vasectomy reversal odds of success. Of course, you would want to know just how many men are found to have an epididymal obstruction and how this affects the figures.
One last thing to point out here is that although the vasectomy reversal success rates are good, there are other factors that affect a successful pregnancy. Even the quoted figures of pregnancy above do not take into account that not all pregnancies go full term. There are also factors on the female side of the equation that affect the success. This is a good reason why your spouse should undergo a complete examination prior to spending the money required to get a vasectomy reversal.
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