Alternatives and IVF

It’s natural for couples to want to consider the different options available to them to help with pregnancy after the male partner has had a vasectomy.

Essentially, the two ways in which a pregnancy can be achieved are through a vasectomy reversal procedure, or through IVF.

For the majority of patients though, vasectomy reversal surgery is more effective than IVF because it can provide higher chances of pregnancy with fewer surgical procedures and gives couples the most options in the future.

IVF aims at achieving pregnancy by fertilising eggs with sperm in laboratory conditions and includes medication, monitoring and surgical procedures for both the male and female partner.

If you haven’t had vasectomy reversal surgery, your sperm must be surgically removed from your testes or epididymis. The amount of sperm retrieved in this way is not enough to achieve pregnancy other than by using IVF.

Patients should know:

  1. Sperm retrieved by surgical means that is required by IVF can reduce the chances of a successful vasectomy reversal in the future.
The reason why surgical sperm extraction that is required for IVF can reduce the success of vasectomy reversal surgery is because it can damage the epididymis and the sperm collecting system inside the testis.
  1. Vasectomy reversal surgery does not impact the future success of IVF
The benefit of having vasectomy reversal surgery is that it doesn’t impact the potential success of future IVF treatment. Additionally, the majority of men who have had vasectomy reversal surgery have sperm present in their semen, which means sperm retrieval won’t be necessary should they require IVF in the future.
  1. At Perth Vasectomy Reversal Clinic we always discuss all alternatives, and are happy to refer to an IVF group if this is thought to be the best options for the couple.
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