Considering the number of women who want a tubal reversal each year, it is not surprising that the question might come up about what kind of doctor does tubal ligation reversal surgery. It is actually surprising that more people don’t question what kind of doctor does this type of procedure and wants to know the qualifications of any who advertise their services.
Many, many tubal reversals are done all across the country every year. This is because on the whole in the first 3 years following tubal ligation about a quarter of women decide that they either made a mistake or want children again. Depending upon the source of the numbers it can actually be more or less than that percentage. Whichever way it is, lots of women want to reverse their tubal ligation and it is big business for the clinics seeing as there are about hundreds of thousands of sterilization operations a year that these requests for reversal relate to.
Understandably, patients really want peace of mind on the quality of doctor who will be performing tubal ligation reversal surgery on them. So what kind of doctor does a tubal ligation reversal, what are his credentials and how can you check up on them? Many clinics make claims and doctors list qualifications and accreditation, but how much of this is sales pitch and how much is relevant?
Well at first glance, it appears that there is no obvious formal qualification or approval system that regulates and scores these doctors. That is no reason to panic though, as there are many successful and highly competent doctors out there whom you can seek out for your reversal operation. You just need to do a bit more reading around and digging to discover the information as to what kind of doctor does a tubal ligation reversal and what qualifications and accreditation he needs to have.
Of course we all know that there is no substitute for experience. By that we mean successful experience at the right level in the right field. So when you are assessing what kind of doctor does a tubal ligation reversal successfully ask for hard data and details.
What are they classing as a successful operation in their statistics if these are even presented? Are we talking about a full recovery without complications with tubes that appear to be fully open or does an actual pregnancy count as a success? Are they even talking about their own specific results or some “industry” standard or something pulled out of somewhere?
Although just about every doctor these days has one, find out if the practice has had any claims filed against it for medical malpractice. Speak to the Better Business Bureau or the local hospital for other information they might have heard as well. Make sure any claims of thousands of operations are actually reversal operations.
You should know that doctors who do tubal reversal surgery are usually reproductive endocrinologists who have decided to specialize in this surgical field. There really is not a set method of teaching this specialty. For this reason, a doctor who does decide against all odds to seek out this specialty will probably need to be trained by a surgeon who is already doing the job. It becomes a sort of mentor relationship. You just don’t find this type of training in the traditional tracks today especially with the emphasis on the more lucrative assisted reproductive technology, or as we know it popularly, IVF.
On top of that, when looking at what kind of doctor does a tubal ligation reversal, look for extensive evidence of experience in advanced microsurgery. This is now how most tubal reversal operations are carried out. You will find that surgeons have differing opinions upon how to do the operation itself but what this means to you is you will really want to see the statistics regarding their specific results with their own methods. Is your surgeon delighted to make these statistics public and readily available or can you find out with a quick phone call?
Of course if the doctor is also well respected as a leading authority on tubal ligation reversal, then you will certainly have more peace of mind. Some out there have pioneered some of the more modern advanced techniques, or even been involved in the media as advisors on documentary programs in their field. Still available today as surgeons you can choose to be your own doctor are those you have developed procedures that are used today, not only for outpatient surgery but also for Adiana and Essure reversal. That should tell you these are the doctors to look at.
So can any doctor do a tubal reversal, the answer is yes, technically. Should you let just any doctor do a reversal? Absolutely not. Finding one who is a fellow of new American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) as it is now known, with a valid membership and certification who is currently carrying out his Road to Excellence modules, can be a good start.
Further looking at what kind of doctor does a tubal ligation reversal, we would have to say, one with extensive years of experience in general surgery and gynecology and who is an expert in microsurgery. Seek out one who has been trained by a surgeon who has actually performed many of these surgeries. It’s just not training they get in school these days nor even in their resident rotations.
Above all the kind of doctor who does tubal ligation reversal is not as important to you as finding one who has all the right stuff as discussed above. Be sure to check out their experience and training background and any certifications, but also check into what their previous patients are saying. Recommendations from former tubal reversal patients just might be the best guide. If you are not happy with what you read or hear at any point in your investigations, then walk away. Dealing with the fallout and consequences, both physical and emotional of a wrong or hurried decision, will stay with you for the rest of your life. Take your time selecting a tubal reversal doctor and it will be worth it in the end.
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Will Health Insurance Companies Pay for Tubal Reversal Done for Tubal Ligation Side Effects?
Most women who undergo having their tubes tied have few if any side effects of tubal ligation to cope with. However in a small proportion of cases, Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome may be encountered. This is a hotly disputed area if you do suffer from the symptoms with many doctors refusing to accept the existence of PTLS at all. Here we will look at Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome and insurance companies view on the subject.
Tubal Ligation Side Effects
Some 14 tubal ligation side effects were well documented by Dr. Vicki Hufnagel in 1980 in her very comprehensive study of tubal ligation patients. Some of the effects are minor, both physically and psychologically, and may fade with time.
But unfortunately there are recorded cases of a much more serious nature. Violent mood swings, depression, hair loss and heavy bleeding represent real dangers and risks both to the patient and those around her.
How to Recover from Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome
In such serious cases, the only and best answer is tubal ligation reversal in the hopes of restoring the body’s balance. This is where things get a little tricky to say the least. Not with the procedure, which is highly successful and safe, but with financing this reversal operation. This is down to the fact that not every medical profession agrees with the studies that have been done so far.
Tubal Reversal and Health Insurance
A standard tubal reversal, not driven by a medical need, generally will not qualify under your insurance if done for non-medical conditions. It is classed as an elective procedure. Pretty much all private health insurance companies take this view.
Claims for a tubal reversal due to Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome and coverage from insurance can result in a different outcome. Where we are talking about pressing medical needs, or a recommendation by a doctor, we start to approach a borderline decision for these companies. But Post Tubal Ligation syndrome and insurance companies don’t always see eye to eye
In all likelihood, your health insurance company will want to see all of the medical files associated with your case. They may appoint their own experts to assess it and maybe even examine you themselves.
Problems PTLS Sufferers Face with Insurance
For PTLS sufferers this is where problems can start as it is not widely accepted or recognized in the medical profession. You may have a fight on your hands. It is best to accede to their demands in the first instance of letting them see your medical records especially if your doctor is on your side and has well documented your case until you know where you stand.
The key in all of this is to work closely with all of your health care professionals and speak to your insurance company as early as possible. By actually introducing this dialogue at a stage where they do not feel pressured by its urgency, you might actually get a few breaks.
If this still doesn’t work, there are some insurance companies, such as Looking for Anthem Blue Cross Health Insurance Plans? Visit Blue Cross Blue Shield (and you can get a free quote from eHealthInsurance
), who will pay for reversal operations in certain locations under certain conditions. This will often pay for reversal to remedy the tubal ligation side effects and will benefit the suffering patients accordingly.
Get Part of Your Tubal Reversal Paid For
In any event even if your insurance company will not finance the whole procedure, you might be able to exploit a loophole to cover a portion of the surgery. This is likely to be the pre and post examinations/consultations, testing and some exploratory costs. So you could be looking at getting things like any initial consultations, blood tests and some parts of the operative costs like the anesthetist paid for.
What is the most important thing is to ensure that your Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome symptoms and the health insurance company are dealt with as swiftly as possible before your symptoms make your life unbearable if you should have the worst of the tubal ligation side effects.
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Tubal Reversal Success Rates – How Effective Is Tubal Ligation Reversal?
Before we begin to discuss how effective is tubal ligation reversal,or the tubal reversal success rates, let’s start with a little background about tubal ligation numbers.
Every year over 600,000 women choose, or in any event undergo, sterilization via tubal ligation or other associated methods. For many this is the right decision at the right time.
However a proportion of these often come to regret their choice or wish to reverse the procedure due to changed circumstances. The official figures are around 25% regret their previous surgery within the first 3 years following the sterilization procedure. If the reverse is due to a desire to bear a child again, then it is sensible to know how effective is tubal ligation reversal.
Tubal Reversal Success Rates – Studies on the Effectiveness of Tubal Reversal
For a lot of women in the lead up to a decision on tubal reversal, there is a search for knowledge and information. The question as to how effective is tubal ligation reversal can be all absorbing. After all, who wants to spend thousands without having some knowledge as to what the tubal reversal success rates are.
Unfortunately the quantity and quality of information can be sparse to say the least. Figures are quoted in quite high percentages as to the “success” of the reversal procedure. But more often than not, there is no qualification, clarification or a lack of solid evidence to back them up, even if true.
In fact although you would assume that a “success” would mean pregnancy, it is difficult to know. Is it just the successful completion of the operation itself in a technical way? We know from medical figures that fallopian tube surgery is generally successful about 98% of the time from hospital records. But that in itself does not guarantee pregnancy will follow.
There can be issues if the 2 ends of the fallopian tube being joined are of different diameters, or if the length of the 2 halves is less than about 4 inches. There are other factors to consider when looking at how successful a tubal ligation reversal may be. The method of ligation, patient age and experience of the surgeon all play an important part.
As there have been no government or academic studies done on tubal reversal success rates, what are you to do? Has anyone actually done a proper study from surgery to pregnancy, or the lack thereof, to determine the success rates of tubal ligation reversal? Are there actual figures to show the pregnancy rates for all the different circumstances? This is important for any women thinking and wondering just how effective is tubal ligation reversal.
Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center Study on How Effective Is Tubal Ligation Reversal
The only real in depth study that has been done in significant numbers is that by Dr. Gary Berger of the Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center. This was done with records starting in 2000 and going through 2008 and a follow up report published in 2009. If you need to look, it is called the Tubal Reversal Pregnancy Study 2009 Pregnancy Rates by Age and Tubal Ligation Method.
If we crudely summarize, then the study showed that on average, that pregnancy rates, or effectiveness, of tubal ligation reversal was around 66%. Now that was an averaging out of the pregnancy rates recorded, by cross referencing age and original ligation method. What was clear was that age was the biggest factor by far.
To look in detail at how good is tubal ligation reversal is a rare privilege. The actual detailed figures from this study are split into 3 parts.
Pregnancy Rates – How Effective Is Tubal Ligation Reversal
The first of those looks at 3 age groups and the variations across those groups for the various original ligation methods used. One thing was very clear, is that women aged under 30 had a much better chance of pregnancy than the other groups. 80% was the figure and that dropped rapidly across all methods to a figure of 31% when over 40.
The effect of the original ligation method was not as much of a factor in determining how effective is tubal ligation reversal. Ring or clip ligation came out top of the pile with 72% and 75% respectively.
Finally we can look at the cross referenced figures which clearly shows age as the determining factor again. The best statistics show that those women under 30 who had undergone clip form of tubal ligation surgery had a massive 90% chance of the tubal ligation reversal being effective and resulting in pregnancy. However, the number of women under 30 wanting a tubal reversal is a smaller group as most of the women wanting this reversal surgery were in their 30s.
Even when over 40, it appears that this ligation method vastly reduces the failure rate, so that pregnancy has a 31% chance. The figures for Ligation/Resection are 77% for under 30 patients and 31% for those over 40. The best type of tubal ligation to want to reverse for the over 40 group according to the Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center is ring tubal ligation as it had a 46% pregnancy rate.
What About the Tubal Reversal Success Rates of Other Tubal Ligation Procedures
As a side point, we need to talk about Essure sterilization. This is a very different method of tying the tubes, where the insertion of a metal coil encourages the tissue in the fallopian tubes to grow and seal them up. It was often thought that reversal success would be minimal from this method.
This has not been the case though. Dr. Berger has already seen success with this reversal type. Given that the population of women who have had reversals of Essure or even Adiana sterilizations, there just is not a good population size to give out success statistics. Suffice it to say, there have been some successes.
How Successful Is Tubal Ligation Reversal? – Tubal Reversal Success Rates
Now the really great thing about these figures, is not only to demonstrate how effective is tubal ligation reversal in itself, but how there needs to be careful consideration of ligation method prior to any sterilization. Of course, when tying your tubes, who thinks they will want a reversal some day.
It would appear that if you are under 30 then going for rings or clips Fallopian tube method will give you the best chance overall. But as you creep towards 40, although better, the gap between the methods and successful reversal recovery drops. Of course Essure and Adiana removal really is the bottom of the pile being a much more involved tubal ligation reversal proces, so perhaps should only be considered as a last resort.
Of course all of these tubal reversal success rates will also depend on the skill of the reversal surgeon on the day which will determine how effective is tubal ligation surgery for you. Keep this in mind besides everything else when you begin looking around for a surgeon to perform your tubal reversal.
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