man-vascectomy-reversalQ:  I had a vasectomy 8 years ago. I have recently remarried and we want to have a child. My wife is 38 and I am 45. I am not thrilled about going through a vasectomy reversal, but will do so if necessary. I have two questions. What is the success rate for reversals, and does it depend on how long ago the vasectomy was? Given my wife’s age, is it likely that we’ll need IVF anyway, and if so, is there a way to get sperm for the IVF without a vasectomy reversal?

A: I posed this question to Dr. Cappy Rothman on a Creating A Family radio show on Male Infertility. Dr. Rothman is the founder of the Center for Male Reproductive Medicine and the medical director of the California Cryobank. He responded that vasectomy reversals are quite successful, and although success does depend on time, you could expect a good result after eight years. However, vasectomy reversals are not a quick fix and given your wife’s age, time is not on your side. Dr. Rothman recommended that you consider a sperm aspiration followed by IVF. A sperm aspiration can be done under local and you should get enough sperm for several IVF attempts. To hear his response and not rely on my paraphrase, listen to the show on Male Infertility.

 

Image Credit: Nico Cavallotto