Defined! The Link Between Vasectomy Reversal and Pregnancy
By: Seomul Evans
Submitted: 2011-08-31 17:08:28 | Word Count: 767
Many people believe that it is almost impossible to get pregnant after a vasectomy. Even though the procedure is termed as a permanent form of contraception, it is possible to get pregnant after the srgery in certain fluke scenarios. While for some people renewed patency may be a thing of joy for others who don't want to have a child, it can turn into an impediment. Even though the risk of pregnancy after the procedure is low, it is certainly not impossible as many cases of conception after the procedure have been reported.
Generally a pregnancy after vasectomy is attributed to a technical error during the procedure which is conducted with the aim to occlude the passage through which the sperms travel into the prostrate glands are ejected out of the body during orgasm. However, sometime the occluded ends of the vas defers are reopened leading to the passage of sperms or there is also the possibility of motile sperms in the passage that can make their way into the vagina resulting in pregnancy even after vasectomy. Usually pregnancy will result when recanalization occurs within a short period after the surgery in cases where the recanalization occurs after years, the sperms are not healthy enough to fertilize the egg.
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Even though the natural reversal of a vasectomy procedure may not always come as a pleasant surprise; there are scenarios in which a couple may eventually consider a vasectomy reversal and may want to have more children in future Such a decision can be motivated by several factors some of which include a divorce, a change in partner, the death of a child or even an improvement in the financial condition. Whatever the reasons the surgical reversal of a vasectomy is possible; however for all good reasons vasectomy is considered to be a permanent form of contraception and you should not choose it unless you are quite sure that you will not want to have children in future.
That being said, a vasectomy reversal procedure aims to undo what was done in the original procedure. So in other words in the reversal procedure the severed ends of the vas deferens are rejoined to ensure the flow of sperms from the testes to the prostrate glands from where they are sent out through the urogenital opening along with the semen during ejaculation. The success rate of such procedures are fairly high due t the innovations in micro surgical procedures. However, the procedure is not cheap at an average rate of $10,000 which may vary depending on your specific requirements. It will also be worthwhile to remember that despite the high success rate pregnancy after the procedure is not assured and insurance companies do not cover the cost of vasectomy reversals which are termed as elective procedures. You can find clinics that offer easy payment plans for such fertility treatments so that men can regain their fertility and go on to have children in future.
The success of a vasectomy reversal procedure can be defined by the patency pregnancy rate; which can be affected by several factors such as the sperm count, the quality of the sperms, the time between the original and the reversal surgery, the age at which the vasectomy reversal procedure is done. It is generally observed that the rate of success steadily declined with age and as more time passes after the vasectomy procedure. However, there is documented roof of several reversal procedures conducted 20 years after the original procedure and yet pregnancy was achieved. The new techniques that are making their foray into microsurgical epididymal surgical procedures have augmented the success rate of vasectomy reversals.
The reversal of a vasectomy has brightened the lives of many couples and enabled them to have children. The success rate of the reversal procedure also depends on the type of surgery that is performed which will vary depending on the time that has lapsed since the original procedure. When the reversal surgery is conducted within one to three years, the procedure is fairly straight forward and the vas deferens can be joined without too many complications. However, if that is not the case and you are considering reversal after ten or ore years, there may be some issues such as scar tissue growth which may create problems and the surgeon may elect to perform a procedure in which the vas deferens is joined to the testes instead of the other end of the tube. So if you intend to get the reversal surgery done, it would be best to go in for it as soon as possible after the original procedure.
