Archive for August, 2011

Defined! The Link Between Vasectomy Reversal and Pregnancy

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

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.

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.

Seomul Evans is a SEO Services consultant for Vasectomy Reversal and a contributor for a leading Vasectomy Reversal blog.

What Comes After a Vasectomy Reversal Procedure?

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

An effective vasectomy reversal can be squarely attributed to the skills, experience and the expertise of the micro surgeon who performs the procedure. The micro surgical operation incorporates multi later 1-0 suturing which is primarily responsible for the high success rate of the procedure. Through a vasectomy reversal the accumulated fluid in the testicular end of the vas deferens tube is removed and is analyzed for color, the presence and volume of sperms and the heath of the motile sperms. Once it is determined that the sperms can fertilize the eggs; the severed ends of the vas deferens tube which were cut and sutured or clasped during the vasectomy procedure are reconnected so that sperms can flow unhindered into the semen that is eventually ejaculated.

Vasectomy reversal is conducted under the influence of general anesthesia; although, you could choose to go for local anesthesia as well. The surgery takes about two to three hours to be completed and the anesthesia wears of within a few hours of the procedure after which the patient is allowed to go back home usually the very same day. You will be prescribed some painkillers to relieve discomfort and will also be given post surgical care advice that includes icing the area to reduce and control inflammation.

It is essential that you lie down as much as possible and do not undertake strenuous activities for a few days after surgery. You will also be advised against indulging in sexual activity for about 4 weeks after the procedure. After a month you will be able to resume normal activities and enjoy a healthy sexual life. However it is recommended that you wear jockstraps for a few days to provide support to the testicles. Like all surgical procedures, vasectomy reversal also has its fair share of risks such as:

-Bleeding from the incision made during the procedure or the skin of the scrotum.

-An initial scar which may heal with time.

-An infection that may often produce tell tale symptoms such as heightened pain and or discomfort.

-If you experience any of the above conditions, it is imperative t get in touch with your micro surgeon at once to prevent further complications.

You will be required to visit your micro surgeon five to seven days after the surgery to ensure that the wound is healing properly. The sutures used in the procedure don’t have to be removed. Subsequently, your doctor will advise you to go for a semen analysis after about two to three months of the procedure to check for the count of sperms in it. In the beginning it is common for the sperm count to be low and the sperms may not be very healthy. However, in time the sperm count will improve along with the motility and generally it becomes completely normal within eight to twelve months of the surgery.

It is also highly recommended that you have your sperms stored after a vasectomy reversal because in 6% of men who opt for a vasectomy reversal a condition called Fibrosis comes into play, this condition causes gradual scarring and will cause a complete loss of sperms from the semen.

It is also important to understand that you cannot expect to achieve pregnancy within a month of the procedure; as a matter of fact, it is extremely rare for pregnancies to occur within the first few moths of a vasectomy reversal. Doctors will usually tell you to wait for 8 to 12 months to emphatically determine the success of the procedure. While in some cases, it is also known to have taken several years for the sperms to regain their health. If your partner cannot get pregnant within three years of the surgery, you should consider a medical examination and possible alternatives to the procedure such as in vitro fertilization.

You also need to remember that even though the procedure has a high success rate ; the instances of pregnancy after the procedure are not 100%, however, a routine seen analysis will be able to help you determine your chances of conceiving naturally after the procedure.

Seomul Evans is a Website Marketing Services consultant for Vasectomy Reversal and a contributor for a leading Vasectomy Reversal blog.

Help! I Want to Know the Cost of a Vasectomy Reversal Surgery

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

A vasectomy reversal will cost you many times more than the original procedure. The reversal surgery is conducted with the aim to restore fertility and the price of the procedure will vary depending on the clinic you approach, the state that you live in, the experience of the doctor and the staff in conducting such procedures and your medical condition. Another thing to consider is the fact that unlike the vasectomy surgery, your vasectomy reversal will likely not be covered by the insurance company because the procedure is considered to be elective. However, there are several fertility clinics across the country that voluntarily offer help to patients who would like to get a vasectomy reversal, in the form of easy payment plans.

These payment plans were specifically devised to offer an opportunity to men who would like t get the reversal procedure done but cannot afford to pay up for the surgery at one go. However, your main consideration when approaching a vasectomy reversal clinic should be the expertise of the doctor and the support staff. Ideally, it is recommended that you choose a clinic that strictly specializes in vasectomy reversal procedure and does not offer other fertility treatments. Also, make it a point to inquire about the patency pregnancy rate of the clinic. Make it a point to enquire about the contact detail of a few former patients and take some time out to conduct research on the clinic online. Vasectomy reversal surgeries can have a very high success rate if you can get a skilled micro surgeon to perform the procedure.

A vasectomy reversal is by far the cheapest fertility treatment and the procedure can cost you in the range of $10,000 to $15,000 as opposed to the $ 25,000 plus for other fertility alternatives such as in vitro fertilization with an intracytomplastic injection of the sperm. Not to mention, that IVF is a considerably more intrusive, uncomfortable and often painful procedure as compared to a vasectomy reversal. IVF is usually conducted in stages and a single stage can cost you as much as $8000 to $15,000 with no guarantee of pregnancy; depending on the number of cycles that you need, the cost of pregnancy can go up to an astounding $75,000 plus. Then there are the additional costs related to the procedure that you may have to bear and after all of this the success rate of an IVF procedure is significantly lower than that of vasectomy reversal. Hence a reversal is considered to be a more feasible option financially and a more natural option to regain fertility.

The average cost of vasectomy reversal in the United States was found to be $10,000 where as you could get the same surgery done for half the amount in Canada. When you agree to foot the bill of the vasectomy reversal procedure; it is important to ask the doctor about what the cost would include. It is essential to ask all the right questions so that you can be sure that you are doing the right thing and at the right place, ensure that you are satisfied with the answers. If you feel that the staff or the doctor is trying to evade questions; take your business elsewhere. Ensure that the price quoted to you is the all inclusive charge for the surgery that includes everything from the operation theatre charges to the doctor’s fees and the anesthesia expenses.

When you get the bill for the procedure, you should see three distinct charges in the bill, one for the doctors fees, the other for the anesthesia used and finally for the post operative acre and the medications. This is where the money you pay goes:

Anesthesia: This is the fee paid to the anesthesiologist to administer anesthesia during the procedure regardless of whether general or regional anesthesia is used. The cost of this is usually in the range of $2500 t $5000

Surgery: This is the remuneration offered to the surgeon who carries out the vasectomy reversal procedure. The surgeon’s charges are usually in the range of $2500 to $10,000 depending on his experience and success rate.

Hospital Fees: This charge includes the cost of your say, any medical tests that were conducted. This will take your tab up b $2500 to $4500.

Seomul Evans is a Internet Marketing consultant for Vasectomy Reversal and a contributor for a leading blog about Vasectomy Reversing blog.

Vasectomy Reversal 101

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

The is certainly no slowing down the divorce rates in the country which stand at a steady 50% and if some magazines are to be believed this figure is expected to swell in the future. This simply means that you may be with a different person in future while you have the vasectomy procedure done with another partner. People have various reasons to look at a vasectomy reversal procedure; however, the most common reason is a change in partners. Then there are others, like the death of child, the desire to have more children after an improvement in the couple’s financial condition and even realizing that your religious tenets do not accept such a procedure. Whatever your reasons, if you would now like to change your mind about not having children in future; there is a way in the form of a vasectomy reversal surgery. So let’s talk about the basic of the procedure and how you can get it done.

Vasectomy: A vasectomy is an outpatient surgical procedure that involved the severance of the vas deferens tube; this tube is responsible for taking the sperms from the testes to the urogenital opening from where they travel to the woman’s cervix after ejaculation. The surgery is considered to be a permanent form of contraception so if you are not sure about the decisions to never have children in future it is highly recommended that you do not go for this procedure and stick to some of the other temporary forms of contraception. The surgery is fairly simple and most men are back to work and their normal rhythm of life within a week.

Vasectomy reversal: Now this is the exact opposite of the vasectomy procedure so in the reversal surgery the doctor tries to join the severed ends of the vas deferens to once again create a path for the sperms so that they can reach the woman’s vagina. This is also an outpatient procedure and even though the success rate of a reversal procedure is fairly high depending in the expertise of the surgeon who performed the original vasectomy and the reversal procedure; the fact remains that this is not a 100% success solution. Scores of couples have not been able to get pregnant even after the surgery and have had to resort to other means of conception such as IVF.

There are several factors that directly contribute to the success rate of the reversal procedure; for instance, one of them is your age. If you consider a reversal procedure in your late forties or early fifties you stand a lower chance of regaining fertility than a thirty year old man. Another factor that is very important in determining the success of the procedure is the amount of time that has lapsed since the vasectomy was done. If it has been one to three years since the original surgery, your chances of getting your fertility back are very high. However, if ten or more years have lapsed since the vasectomy there is increased risk of scarring and the surgeon may not be able to effectively join the vas deferens. Also, the longer you wait to get a reversal surgery; the higher will be your chances of developing sperm antibodies.

The procedure can be expensive at $10,000 and more; apart from these basic charges, you will also need to incur the expenditure of any additional tests done, post operation consultation and the anesthesiologist. The procedure can be performed under the influence of general or local anesthesia, either way; you will be prohibited from indulging in sexual activities including ejaculation for at least 4 weeks. There will be some tenderness and pain but your doctor will prescribe suitable analgesics. However, you need to understand that the cost of the surgery are not covered by insurance simply because the procedure is deemed as elective in nature so you will have to bear the cost out of your own pockets. You could choose a clinic that offers easy payment plants for fertility treatments. As a final word of caution, do not get your hopes too high before and after the surgery but remember that there are very good chances that you and your partner will be able to conceive naturally after the procedure.

Seomul Evans is a SEO consultant for Vasectomy Reversal and a contributor for a leading blog about Reversing Vasectomy blog.