{"id":52244,"date":"2019-07-17T10:47:43","date_gmt":"2019-07-17T08:47:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/?p=52244"},"modified":"2024-02-23T14:57:38","modified_gmt":"2024-02-23T12:57:38","slug":"pregnancy-after-vasectomy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/blog\/pregnancy-after-vasectomy\/","title":{"rendered":"Pregnancy After Vasectomy: is it possible?"},"content":{"rendered":"
Every man who has undergone a vasectomy in the UK is sure to have thought seriously about the decision, and to have been advised by his NHS or another medical practitioner that the procedure should be considered permanent. But the fact is that lives change, circumstances change, and a new social or personal dynamic can lead to a change of heart.<\/p>\n
In this article, we take a look at the realistic possibilities of pregnancy after vasectomy<\/strong>. We explain the broad principles of different courses of action and what you need to do if you or \u00a0your partner should find yourselves in this situation. How to get pregnant after a vasectomy?<\/strong> There\u2019s no 100% certain solution, but there is plenty of help available to give you a very good chance of success.<\/p>\n A normal vasectomy is a procedure in which the vas deferens, that is the two tubes that carry sperm from the testicles to the urethra, are severed. Having been told that this is intended to be a permanent procedure, men are also advised to use another form of contraception for a period of two to three months afterwards, as it can take this long for sperm to clear out of the system. But apart from the immediate aftermath, without intervention, pregnancy after a vasectomy<\/strong> is rare. There are some cases where the tubes spontaneously rejoin themselves, even after a number of years, but these too are very rare. Some authorities estimate these cases to be as few as one in 4,000 vasectomies.<\/p>\n So, clearly, if you have changed your mind about the vasectomy and you and your partner are hoping to become pregnant, you need to do more than hope for the best. Let\u2019s look at some of the options.<\/p>\n In broad terms there are two main options, vasectomy reversal or sperm extraction. The one your medical advisor chooses to recommend will depend on a number of factors. These include how much time has elapsed since the vasectomy, the age of your partner and the number of children that you are planning for your family.<\/p>\n The procedure to reverse a vasectomy is simply to rejoin the two ends of the vas deferens that were severed. According to the UK\u2019s Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA)<\/a>, it is possible to carry out a reversal in around 60% to 80% of cases. If it is successful, it does not guarantee a pregnancy, but you and your partner would have the same chances as anyone else. A vasectomy reversal would probably be your recommended option if your vasectomy was within the last 12\u201315 years, you are intending to have more than one child and if your female partner is under the age of 35.<\/p>\n The HFEA also points out that, unlike a vasectomy which is generally freely available on the NHS, a reversal is not normally funded by the NHS, so there is the matter of cost to take into account as well.<\/p>\n If a reversal operation is unsuccessful or not recommended for your circumstances, pregnancy after a vasectomy<\/strong> is still possible. In the surgical sperm extraction process, sperm is withdrawn either directly from each vas deferens or from each testicle. The procedure is carried out with local anaesthetic or possibly under general anaesthetic. Since the quantity of sperm obtained in this way is small, it is not recommended for artificial insemination, but would be followed by IVF fertilisation.<\/p>\n This could be your recommended option if your vasectomy was more than 15 years ago or if you are only intending to have one child, since afterwards you still have no need for other methods of contraception. It could also be recommended if your female partner is over 35 years old, when natural conception becomes decreasingly likely. You would probably achieve a pregnancy more quickly with the use of sperm extraction followed by IVF. It is also a less invasive procedure for you, an advantage which is counterbalanced by the fact that overall the IVF procedure would be more invasive for your female partner.<\/p>\n In vitro fertilisation is of course the best known and most well-established assisted reproduction procedure. In the case of IVF following sperm extraction, the technique known as ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) would also be part of the process<\/a>. In the simple IVF process, sperm and oocytes are mixed together in the laboratory and fertilisation takes place. In ICSI, less is left to chance as the sperm can be prepared and selected, followed by a single sperm being injected directly into the oocyte. For a helpful introduction to how these techniques work, take a look at the video about IVF and ICSI<\/a> on our YouTube channel.<\/p>\nWhat are the realistic possibilities of getting pregnant after a vasectomy?<\/h2>\n
How to get pregnant after a vasectomy<\/h2>\n
Vasectomy reversal: what is it and what are the odds?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
Sperm extraction<\/strong><\/h2>\n
IVF following a sperm extraction procedure<\/h2>\n