Why Go Through Sterilization Reversal?
First you need to understand that sterilization is done through a vasectomy for men or tubal ligation for women. This is done to prevent pregnancy from happening for whatever reason. A sterilization reversal, then, is either a reversal done by nature, so to speak, or the reversal procedure conducted by a doctor at the request of the person who underwent the original sterilization.
Marital Status Affects Sterilization Reversal
If someone has gone through the surgery required to prevent pregnancies, why would you want to go through a sterilization reversal surgery? For many people, the reason is as simple, or as difficult, as a change in marital status.
With the American divorce rate standing at 50%, it is quite likely that a person who has been through the vasectomy or tubal ligation will not be with the same partner a few years after the original surgery was conducted. Alternatively, one’s present spouse may die and, over time, the remaining partner could remarry. Of course, this change in partners may precipitate a desire for children.
Other Factors Affecting Why You Would Want a Sterilization Reversal
Additionally, there are other reasons one might want to undergo a sterilization reversal. As sad as it is to even think of it, there could be the death of a present child or children. The news seems all too full of such sad stories. .
A few other factors which might cause the thought of sterilization reversal have to do with a change in religious beliefs or trying to regain a sense of masculinity or fertility. Maybe there has been a change in opinions on the size of the family.
Believe it or not, conflict within the family could lead to this costly reversal surgery. For instance, in families where the partners were having substantial conflict prior to the male’s vasectomy, the wife was twenty-five times more likely to request a vasectomy reversal than those whose marriages did not have such “substantial conflict”. Researchers neglected to determine whether this substantial conflict had to do with the sterilization or not.
Just goes to show, you need to be sure you want the original surgery in the first place. Think long and hard about it. However, should you have gone through either procedure to become sterilized and then change your mind, a sterilization reversal, whether through a tubal reversal or vasectomy reversal, is a possibility.
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Looking into Pregnancy after Tubal Reversal
Pregnancy after tubal reversal questions and concerns come up after a woman has had her reversal surgery although some do seek out advice before. Although there is more than one reason for undergoing tubal reversal surgery, most women do so in order to be able to have another child. This article starts with the assumption that is the reason you had or will have your surgery.
Having a child is the whole reason you are considering undergoing tubal reversal surgery or have already done so. Now you are looking to find out what factors affects pregnancy after tubal reversal. Below we will cover some different things which can affect how soon and what your probability of a successful pregnancy is given certain factors.
Age Affects Pregnancy After Tubal Reversal
As a woman grows older the chances of her conceiving become greatly reduced even if she hasn’t had tubal ligation. However for those women that have had tubal ligation and then choose to have the operation reversed, they may find it a bit more difficult to conceive no matter their age. However, the chances of a woman conceiving after tubal reversal are greatly increased by being younger rather than older just as it would if you had never had either surgery.
For women who are under the age of 30 the chances of them getting pregnant after tubal reversal is around 77%. But the older the woman is the chances of them conceiving are greatly reduced. For those women aged between 35 and 39 the chances of them getting pregnant drops to 62% and for women over the age of 40 their success rate is only 34%.
What Type of Tubal Ligation Did You Have – This Affects Pregnancy after Tubal Reversal
Now the next thing that affects your getting pregnant after tubal reversal is what happened in your original tubal ligation surgery. Did that surgeon take too much of the fallopian tubes when he did his cutting and what condition were the tubes left in? Did the type of sterilization procedure he conducted damage a lot of your fallopian tubes? Will the type of procedure you had require a different type of tubal reversal surgery?
The longer the tubes are and the better condition they are in when you undergo your reversal surgery the better your chances of getting pregnant. Even at that, some women just take more time. One woman can get pregnant almost seemingly immediately while another can take five years plus.
So it’s good to know how long your tubes are and what shape they are in. Remember your tubal reversal doctor will need to also remove the bad parts of your fallopian tubes.
Time Affects Conceiving after Tubal Reversal
Again time has a part to play in this next factor and that has to do with how much time has passed since the original tubal ligation procedure. A woman who is having a tubal reversal done only five years since her original surgery to have her tubes tied will be better off than someone who has waited fifteen years or better.
The longer it has been, the longer the time for some damage to occur to the tubes which means the greater the chances of things not being successful. However, we are not saying you can’t conceive after a tubal ligation reversal, only that you shouldn’t waste time if that is what you want and to be aware that it is a factor.
This time factor also goes back to the fact that the longer you wait, the older you will be. Thus, your chances of conceiving and carrying to term will be lower.
Will Another Alternative Be Better for Getting Pregnant Instead of Tubal Reversal?
One thing your fertility specialist may ask you to consider is IVF, in vitro fertilization. Is that going to be better for you than a tubal reversal? Several studies have shown that woman undergoing the surgery are more successful in conception than women who choose IVF.
One such study from the Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center, where they keep excellent track of their patients, it was discovered that the women who had the tubal reversal done, instead of the IVF treatments, conceived more easily.
In addition, the number of actual babies born after they became pregnant, was higher for the tubal reversal surgery than for those who underwent IVF. This information is borne out with statistics from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study conducted every couple years with data collected from various fertility clinics that do IVF.
Even better for you is that the reversal surgery is done generally on an outpatient basis with only about an hour in surgery thus lowering the cost of this treatment. This compares to the IVF treatments which can take many tries with a cost for each effort. Most women do not get pregnant with their first cycle of IVF.
Think about what we have written about in this article. Any of these things, maybe even all of them, can and will have an affect on the outcome of such a surgery. Conception will take time but the more the factors are to your benefit, perhaps the less time it will take for pregnancy after tubal reversal surgery and the sooner you will hold that darling infant in your arms.
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Why Get a Tubal Ligation Reversal?
The answer to this question is usually answered by what you see in the photo below – a baby. A tubal ligation reversal is requested by women who have had their tubes tied but, for one reason or another, now want to be able to get pregnant again. Just in case it wasn’t clear, a tubal ligation is done to prevent pregnancy. Such a surgery is usually considered a permanent sterilization procedure.
However, a woman may have changed her mind and decided she now wants to have a child. There are so many reasons for this change of heart and mind. This woman now needs to undergo a tubal reversal surgery usually done by microsurgery. It’s either that or IVF or adoption. Many choose tubal ligation after reviews the statistics, associated costs and to have a child from their own genetic material.
How Does Tubal Ligation Create Sterilization and How Does Tubal Ligation Reversal Surgery Reverse It
In a tubal ligation, the fallopian tubes are cut and then generally the ends are “tied” off which leads to some minor scarring that prevents fertilization. There are several different methods of tying your tubes and several different devices that can be used to carry out the intent of sterilization, but even to this day, the original method is the one most often used. When it’s all done, the point is to create a blockage through which neither the egg nor the sperm can transverse to cause fertilization of the egg.
In a tubal ligation reversal, the blockage is removed and the ends of the tubes reunited. An extremely small stent can also be inserted into the tube during surgery to make sure there are no obstructions before the reuniting is done. Other doctors will use a form of HSG to determine if the reconstructed fallopian tubes are clear.
Possible Problems Which May Affect Getting Pregnant after Tubal Ligation Reversal
Some problems may become apparent during the pre-op phase or during the operation that could lead to lower chances of becoming pregnant after the tubal reversal surgery.
One of these is that too much of the tubes were removed during the original procedure. A woman’s chances of becoming pregnant are greater with longer tubes. Although the probability is lowered, even women with very short tubes can have a baby. It is not a lost cause.
Another problem is that the fallopian tubes actually vary in diameter throughout their length. The doctor doing the reversal will need to be very careful about making the connection properly to be sure the egg will be able to make the journey correctly to the uterus. There are highly skilled doctors who have performed thousands of these procedures and can do the job, but it is something to be aware of.
Other factors which may impact the tubal ligation reversal surgery are the age of the patient, the length of time since the original surgery was completed, and how the original surgery was done (clips or some other method).
Can You Get a Tubal Ligation Reversal?
To answer the question point blank, yes, you can get a tubal ligation reversal. However, there are many factors to look at when considering pursuing this operation not the least of which are the factors listed above. You should also consider the tubal reversal cost, the success rates, your own situation, and the doctor you select. Consider the doctor you select for your tubal ligation reversal very very carefully.
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