What are the alternatives?

An alternative to a vasectomy reversal is to extract sperm from either your testicle or epididymis and directly inject it into an egg using an intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). This fertilised egg then needs to be implanted in the woman's womb. It is generally not as successful as a vasectomy reversal however.

What happens before vasectomy reversal?
Your surgeon will discuss how to prepare for your operation. For example, you may be asked to give up smoking as it slows the healing of wounds.

Does a vasectomy reversal work?

Vasectomy reversal operations are more successful if they are done fairly soon after the original vasectomy

About 8 out of 10 men father children when their vasectomy is reversed within three years. If 15 years or more have passed since the vasectomy, this success rate falls to about 3 out of 10 men

It is important to understand that success is not guaranteed. Even if the operation is technically successful, the presence of sperm in your semen doesn't guarantee that your partner will get pregnant.

There are also certain factors that can affect your result. These include:

the time that has elapsed since your vasectomy
the type of vasectomy being reversed3
the type of reversal (eg vasovasostomy or vasoepididymostomy - see below
a problem with another part of the reproductive system
the presence of sperm antibodies
It may be possible to have a second reversal operation if the first has not restored your fertility, but it is less likely to be successful than a first reversal attempt.

Vasectomy reversal info

Statistically, five to ten percent of the over 600,000 men who annually undergo a vasectomy, will choose to have theirs' reversed at some time. Vasectomy is the process by which the tube carrying sperm from the testicles out the penis is blocked. Vasectomy reversal is a micro-surgical procedure (done using an operating microscope) that requires up to 4 hours of operating time, wherein the tubes are reconnected, allowing sperm to pass through once again.

Before the development and refinement of microsurgical techniques, the results of vasectomy reversal were relatively poor. However, in recent years, with the development of better techniques and a larger pool of skilled microsurgeons to perform the reversal, excellent results can be obtained with a high chance of obtaining pregnancy. Vasectomy reversal is generally carried out in hospital using a general anesthetic.

Success rates of reversal vary depending on the surgeon. The pregnancy rates after reversal on average are only about 50%. Costs for the surgery range from $5,000 to $20,000.