Sterilization Reversal

What Are The Chances Of Pregnancy After A Vasectomy Reversal?

So you're looking into getting your vasectomy reversed. But you and your partner want to know what are the chances of a pregnancy after the vasectomy reversal surgery is completed. On average, your chances are 50%. So it's a roll of the dice.

However there are some factors which play into this roll of the dice in determining your pregnancy chances. First and foremost is the time since the original vasectomy operation was completed. If it's been less than three years, almost every man can expect to have successful return of sperm flow and normal sperm count. Only three out of 100 will not. Furthermore, you will have a 75% chance of actually fathering a child.

The longer the time delay since the original procedure, the less likely there will be a successful return of a normal semen flow with an attendant pregnancy. The most quoted figure is that after 15 years there will only be a 72% chance for the semen flow and a pregnancy after vasectomy reversal will be 30%.

There are some other factors which can affect your chances of having a baby, besides the time period since the original vasectomy. These can include:

1. the skill of your doctor - how many reversals does he do in a year, how well trained is he at the form of surgery he uses (see 3. below),

2. complications since the original surgery - have there been any obstructions formed in or damage done to the epididymis (part of the male anatomy where sperm undergo some maturing) requiring a more extensive type of vasectomy reversal surgery called a vasoepididymostomy,

3. macroscopic vs. microscopic vasectomy reversal - for macroscopic surgery there is a shorter surgical time and it doesn't cost as much but there is a bit lower success rate,

4. where the original vasectomy was performed - was it in a straight area of the vas deferentia, are the pieces left to be joined close in size (the vas deferens vary in size), how much of the tubes were removed (the longer the tube, the better the success rate), and

5. do you and your partner have previous children - one study showed pregnancy after vasectomy reversal was 80% in such couples whereas men who had a new partner only had a 17% chance of having a child.

One further point that all these figures about the likelyhood of pregnancy after vasectomy reversal seem to lack, with regards to the time since the vasectomy factor, is this. It is the simple fact that you and your spouse are older as well.

If it's been less than three years, you're most likely less than three years older yourself and still quite vigorous (one would expect). If it's been 15 or more years, you are 15+ years older as well and so is your spouse (unless you have a new one and then she is generally close to your age). You are just up against the biological clock, especially in regards to your spouse. As it takes on average one year after the vasectomy reversal surgery, and can take 2-3 years before pregnancy happens, that biological time clock can be a big factor. Take that into account in making your decisions.

Copyright 2007, Sandra Wilson