Vasectomy reversal is not a guarantee for getting pregnant
Men who have had a vasectomy may consider a reversal by a specialized urologist. There are a couple of major factors which will predict the pregnancy rate following vasectomy reversal.
One is called Obstructive Interval, referring to the number of years since the vasectomy. The pregnancy rates are 76 percent for reversal performed within three years of vasectomy, 53 precent for three to eight years, 44 percent for nine to 14 years and 30 percent for 15 years or more.
Another factor, which couples frequently do not take into account, is the age of the female partner. For those couples with the female partner 30 years or younger, this is not likely to be an issue. However, in a study of 115 couples the pregnancy rates were 49 percent with the female age at 31-35, 45 percent at age 36-40 and 20 percent at age 41-45. Delivery rates were proportionally lower in the older group.
Finally, the surgeon who performs the vasectomy reversal is extremely important in the outcome. Carefully choosing your urologist simply makes sense. Our recommendation is to consider fellowship-trained male infertility specialists who are well versed in all aspects of micro-surgery and fertility related issues. If you would like recommendations for male infertility specialists in Atlanta, we are glad to help.
If patients do not conceive, or if sperm counts are low, after reversal, then IVF is the best option.
