The Wonders of Vasectomy Reversal: A Look at How the Procedure Works

Should you decide not to have children, or if you simply want to help your wife achieve a more successful form of birth control after all the methods used have been ineffective, you may opt to undergo male sterilization or what is commonly known as a vasectomy procedure. In this procedure, a part of the vas deferens is ligated and transected. Your sexual potency and ability to ejaculate will not be affected by vasectomy, but sperm will not pass from your testes.

There are circumstances, however, such as the loss of a child, remarriage, or more stable finances, that may make you want to father a child again. In this case, vasectomy can be undone using a process known as vasectomy reversal. Microsurgical techniques are used to restore patency to the vas deferens. Tubes that carry sperm from the testicles to the semen are reconnected, resulting in having sperm in your ejaculation.

In 40% to 70% of the cases, men who have undergone a vasectomy reversal are able to impregnate their partner. But, these percentages show that while most vasectomies can and do get reversed, it does not hold true for all men. While a reversal procedure may be performed years after a vasectomy, data show that the longer the period that has elapsed between a vasectomy and a vasectomy reversal, the less likely is patency returned to the sperm.

2 specific procedure under the reversal process

You can choose from two ways available to reverse a vasectomy procedure. Check these out:

* Vasovasostomy. This is a procedure in which the vas deferens is reconnected. If you still have sperm that will pass through at least one connection, then this is the preferred procedure of vasectomy reversal. Since the reconnection must be as watertight and as precise as possible, the skill of the surgeon matters a lot in the success of the operation.

* Vasoepididymostomy. This is a more challenging procedure that is used when no sperm is present in the vas deferens. In this form of vasectomy reversal procedure, the transected vas deferens is reconnected to the epididymis. Because a vasectomy often causes sperm flow to be blocked, a vasoepididymostomy procedure reconnects the vas deferens to the epididymis above the point of blockage. Depending on the complexity of the operation, a vasectomy reversal can occur anywhere from one to four hours, usually under a general or regional anesthesia.

There are two measures used to determine the success of a vasectomy reversal procedure. The first one is patency rate, which is measured by the return of moving sperm after the operation. Studies have shown that 80% of the men who have undergone vasovasostomy have sperm motility as early as three months after the operation, with 95% of the men regaining sperm motility in their ejaculation within a year after the procedure. Unfortunately, the figures are not as successful for vasoepididymostomy procedure. Even for those who have successfully undergone the latter form of reversal, the time it takes for sperm motility to return is longer.

The second measure of success of a vasectomy reversal is the pregnancy rate after the procedure. In general, those who have undergone vasovasostomy have higher pregnancy rates than those who did vasoepididymostomy. These are some of the things that you might consider in deciding which procedure to try.

Seomul Evans is a SEO Services consultant for Vasectomy Reversal