Difference between revisions of "Get Pregnant if Your Partner Had a Vasectomy"

{{fa}}A vasectomy is when the vas deferens is tied off to prevent sperm from exiting during ejaculation. It is considered a permanent form of birth control.<ref name="rf1">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2721499/</ref> However, if you and your partner later decide that you want to have a baby, there are some options you can consider. Pregnancy is still a possibility, but it can be challenging, expensive, and not always a guarantee.

#Discuss why he had the vasectomy in the past. Many men who have had a vasectomy were quite clear at that point in their lives that they did not want to have children.<ref name="rf2">http://americanpregnancy.org/getting-pregnant/pregnancy-after-vasectomy/</ref>

#Talk about reasons for wanting to get pregnant. Make sure both of you are on the same page about it, and that he is not simply compromising to keep you happy.<ref name="rf2" />

#*You may find couple counseling helpful as you discuss this, as it is a very significant life decision and your partner no doubt had strong feelings about it in the past, or he would not have had a vasectomy.<ref name="rf3">https://lahey.org/Departments_and_Locations/Departments/Urology/Ebsco_Content/Vasectomy.aspx?chunkiid=11000</ref>

#*Certain procedures (such as in vitro fertilization) can be very expensive, so it is important to know how far you and your partner are willing to go in order to become pregnant.<ref name="rf4">https://www.asrm.org/FACTSHEET_Fertility_Options_After_Vasectomy/</ref>

#Have your partner see a urologist. This is a doctor who specializes in the male reproductive system. <ref name="rf4" />

#Book time off to take your partner to his vasectomy reversal. It is a procedure that can be done directly in the doctor's office, with only local freezing (anesthetic) to numb the scrotal area, and it is relatively quick (around 30 minutes).<ref name="rf4" />

#Allow the doctor to perform the procedure. Sperm is produced in the testicles, and it then goes to the epididymis to mature. From the epididymis it travels through the vas deferens and eventually joins the urethra for ejaculation. The initial vasectomy procedure cut through the vas deferens to prevent sperm transport during ejaculation. <ref name="rf5">http://www.vasectomyreversals.ca/reversal-faqs</ref>

#*The vasectomy reversal can be done in two ways. The first way is reattaching the two cut ends of the vas deferens (called a vasovasostomy). <ref name="rf5" /> This is the more common procedure.<ref name="rf4" />

#*The second way is reattaching the vas deferens directly to the epididymis (called a vasoepididymostomy).<ref name="rf5" />  This is used when a vasovasostomy is not possible.<ref name="rf4" />

#Help your partner to recover from his vasectomy reversal. Recovery from this procedure usually does not take more than a few days.<ref name="rf6">http://attainfertility.com/article/vasectomy-reversal</ref>

#*Note that success rates of vasectomy reversal are approximately 60%. <ref name="rf7">http://www.babymed.com/getting-pregnant-after-vasectomy</ref> It partly depends upon the number of years that the man has had the vasectomy for. A shorter duration equates to a greater success rate.

#Understand that if your partner's vasectomy is successfully reversed, you will be able to get pregnant as any other couple would. In other words, when you have sexual intercourse after the vasectomy is reversed, you will have the same chance as any other couple of conceiving a baby.<ref name="rf4" />

#Talk to your doctor about in vitro fertilization. This is the route many couples go when the man has had a vasectomy and the couple wants to get pregnant.<ref name="rf4" />

#*Success rates of the procedure vary greatly depending upon the reason for receiving it, as well as fertility factors for both the man and the woman. <ref name="rf8">http://www.resolve.org/family-building-options/ivf-art/what-are-my-chances-of-success-with-ivf.html</ref>  

#*A complication of IVF, for this reason, is the risk of having multiples (twins, triplets, or perhaps more). Speak to your doctor about how many embryos he or she recommends to have implanted in your specific case. It would depend upon a number of factors specific to each couple, including cost (as if the procedure "fails" and has to be done again that gets expensive), as well as other "fertility factors" that can be assessed by your doctor. <ref name="rf8" />  

#**conception can often occur within a faster time-frame (as compared with vasectomy reversal). <ref name="rf4" />

#**it may result in more than one child. Oftentimes more than one embryo is inserted into the woman's uterus, to increase the success rate of one surviving. However, this can result in more than one baby for some couples, so it is important to consider the possibility of having multiples. <ref name="rf4" />