A vasectomy reversal is the surgical procedure to undo a vasectomy. The operation involves reconnecting each vas deferens that was cut and sealed off during vasectomy. Once reconnected, each vas deferens becomes a channel through which sperm can again pass through from the testicle into the semen.
The reversal procedure is a more difficult and delicate procedure compared to the vasectomy. It is performed with the aid of a powerful surgical microscope that helps to magnify the vas deferens by as much as forty times in size. And most importantly, the surgery demands a high degree of skill and experience to carry out.
What is a successful vasectomy reversal?
A successful vasectomy reversal not only restores sperm in semen, but also enables a man to get his partner pregnant. Many men undergo the reversal procedure due to loss of a child, change of heart or remarriage and with their motivation being the opportunity to have more children.
So the measure of a successful reversal is fundamentally on whether or not a man is able to make his partner pregnant. Unfortunately, this is not a straightforward measure as many factors are involved in achieving a pregnancy.
For instance, getting a pregnancy depends on the man’s age, age of his partner, and on the health and motility of his sperm. This means that having a vasectomy reversal after the age of 50 years when the number of healthy sperm and their motility has reduced significantly may not be successful. In contrast, having a vasectomy reversal done when a man is younger and with a younger partner may increase the chances of success of the procedure.
Success of a vasectomy reversal also depends on the type of vasectomy procedure a man had and how long it has been in place. The more time after a vasectomy, the more likely you are to develop scar tissue in the vas deferens that will make it difficult to have sperm pass through the tube and reach semen.
What are the success rates of a vasectomy reversal?
The success rates of vasectomy reversal range from 10-90 percent depending on the type of procedure, time that has elapsed since the vasectomy, age of the partner, the surgeon’s experience and training, and whether you had fertility issues before the vasectomy.
When the reversal procedure is done soon after the vasectomy, the chances of success are quite high. In fact, if a vasectomy is reversed within 10 years after the procedure, there is more than 95-percent possibility of having sperm back in the ejaculate and over 50-percent chance of achieving pregnancy. But a reversal performed more than 15 years after the vasectomy has a lower potential of restoring sperm back in semen and as low as 30-percent rate of pregnancy.
Success rates of vasectomy are:
- Up to 97 percent success rate of sperm in semen and 76-percent rate of pregnancy when reversal is done within 3 years after the vasectomy.
- Up to 88 percent success rate of sperm in semen and 55 percent rate of pregnancy when reversal is done between 3-8 years after the vasectomy.
- Up to 79 percent success rate of sperm in semen and 44 percent pregnancy rate when the reversal is done 9-14 years after the vasectomy.
- Up to 71 percent success rate of sperm in semen and 30 percent rate of pregnancy when the reversal is done 15-19 years after the vasectomy.
- Up to 52-percent sperm in semen and less than 10 percent rate of pregnancy when the reversal is done after 20 years since the vasectomy.
The reversal technique used and its eventual success depend on the part where the surgeon finds sperm during the procedure. If the surgeon finds sperm within the blocked vas deferens, the vasectomy is reversed by simply reconnecting the two ends of the vas deferens back together. This is a simple procedure that offers 75-97 percent chance of restoring sperm in semen and over 50 percent chance of achieving pregnancy.
But when there is no sperm in the tubes, which is often due to a blockage nearer the testicles, the surgeon will often perform the vasoepididymostomy procedure. During vasoepididymostomy, the vas deferens is connected to the epididymis. This procedure gives a 58-85 percent success in having sperm in semen and produces an average 34 percent rate of pregnancy.
For more information on vasectomy and vasectomy reversal, visit the site “St Pete Urology.”
