Vasectomy reversal is pretty much like the “undo” command in a computer program: when you realize you’ve made a mistake, you press Undo and reverse your document to the state that preceded the mistake. No joking, some young couples who don’t want children see vasectomy as a good prevention method. Years later, either they change their mind and decide they want kids, or they get a divorce and the guy meets another woman who wants to have children. Another reason for the reversal procedure is the Post Vasectomy Pain Syndrome (PVP), which has a strong impact on the patient’s quality of life.
Vasectomy is a surgical procedure which interrupts the tubes that carry the sperms from the testes to the urethra. Vasectomy reversal is the surgical attempt to connect them back again. However, maybe less than half of the procedures are successful, so if it crosses your mind to get a vasectomy, just be aware that it can be for good. This low success rate isn’t too motivating. Besides, medical studies have shown that a vasectomy isn’t 100% effective in preventing an undesirable pregnancy. One of these studies included 540 women out of whom six got pregnant within a time frame of 6 weeks to 1.5 years after the vasectomy of their husbands. Now, I’m not sure those ladies weren’t cheating on their spouses and I suppose neither did the doctors who ran the CREST (Collaborative Review of Sterilization) study.
Vasectomy Reversal Costs and Insurance Coverage
Vasectomy reversal is considered an elective medical procedure, therefore most chances are that it’s not covered by your health insurance plan. However, check it with your insurer, because some of them do cover the first surgery attempt. If this fails, then you’ll have to pay for the following ones from your own pocket. A loan can be a good solution, in case you don’t have so much cash available. The rates depend very much on the country, as well as on the vasectomy surgeon himself. For example, the average price for a reversal vasectomy in the US is $10000, while in Canada, the same procedure will cost you only CAN$5000. Probably the biggest part of the cost comes from the surgical fee. Additional to that, the patient has to pay the anesthetic fee and the hospital fee. Nonetheless, going for an out-patient surgical center will decrease the cost. As you can see, this is not a cheap procedure. Microsurgical vasectomy reversal, also known as vasovasostomy, needs a very powerful microscope. Besides, if complications occur, and if the surgeon needs to opt for another alternative of vasectomy reversal, namely the vasoepididymosostomy, the costs would go up.
Pregnancy After Vasectomy Reversal
Neither vasectomy nor its reversal are 100% guaranteed. It’s possible that your partner gets pregnant after you undergo this surgery, but it’s also possible that she doesn’t. It may sound funny, but there are doctors and medical centers who offer a vasectomy reversal refund program for their patients in case the procedure fails.
Knowing all these, choosing your doctor becomes a real challenge, but there’s no need to worry: just do like in any other shopping situations, collect multiple quotes, ask for certificates of good practice, try to get in touch with former patients and don’t ignore promotional discounts that you may find.
