Though vasectomies are considered a permanent form of contraception, you don’t need to worry if you feel like you’ve made a mistake, or you just think it’s time to undo it. About 6 percent of all men that have had a vasectomy desire to have it reversed, for a variety of reasons. You may have made the decision when you and your partner believed you didn’t want children, or you did not have a stable partner and wished to have reliable contraception when it came to casual sex. Regardless, one can easily change their minds about the decision, and the good news is that there’s a way to reverse the procedure.
Before we get into the ins and outs of the reversal procedure, if you’re seriously considering a vasectomy reversal, we recommend consulting a urologist about the decision before you convince yourself it’s the right move. There are risks with any surgical procedure, and this is no exception. You should consider these Best Urologist in Lahore.
The Procedure
In a vasectomy, the vas deferens (the tube leading from the epididymis to the urethra) is cut and tied at both ends. The reversal entails reestablishing the tube leading to the urethra, so that sperm can once again leave in the ejaculate. There are two ways of doing so:
- Vasovasostomy: This simply entails reconnecting the end of the vas deferens leading from the urethra to a healthier portion that leads to the epididymis.
- Vasoepididymostomy: This is when the end of the vas deferens leading to the urethra is connected directly to a tubule of the epididymis.
Because the diameter of the lumen (the internal space of a tube) of the epididymis is less than half of that of the vas deferens, vasovasostomy is generally preferred, as the surgery is less complicated, and more likely to succeed.
The decision to perform a vasoepididymostomy is dependent on the quality of the fluid of the ejaculate before reversal, patient history, and time since the vasectomy. If a long time has passed since the vasectomy, sperm may not be able to reach the pre-cut vas deferens tube (which could be due to scar tissue blocking the path or some other kind of obstruction), which makes a vasoepididymostomy the more reliable option.
The steps in each of the procedures are similar and entail:
- Making an incision in the scrotum similarly to how you would when getting a vasectomy, so that the surgeon can access the vas deferens.
- Opening the vas deferens to check the fluid. Depending on its quality, the surgeon chooses one of the two procedures discussed above.
- The appropriate tube is then attached to the vas deferens using sutures.
- The scrotum is then sutured and/or bandaged.
Risks
Though very rare, there are still chances of some negative side-effects like bleeding of the scrotum, and infection.
Recovery and Outcome
The incision made to reverse the vasectomy is small and usually negligible, however a follow-up is normally conducted after around 3 weeks to ensure healing.
Semen is usually analysed after 3-4 months to check if the ejaculate sperm count is increasing, and then regularly for a few months until sperm count stabilizes. It can take up to a year for sperm count to return to normal following a vasovasostomy, and maybe even a year and a half following a vasoepididymostomy. Usually, however, sperm count returns to normal after three months.
If you’re considering a vasectomy reversal, and reside in Karachi, we recommend consulting one of these Urologist in Karachi.
