The decision to have a vasectomy is rarely taken lightly, yet many men realize later in life that they would like another chance at fatherhood.
Dr Edward Karpman, head of the California Vasectomy and Reversal Center, reassures these men who would like to have children that the success rate for reversing the procedure is encouragingly high.
"Well over 95 percent of vasectomies can be successfully reversed through microsurgery," he states, explaining that technical advances have made the operation faster and more effective.
Dr Karpman explains that the "key factor" in a successful reversal is to identify whether the patient should undergo a vasovasostomy or the more complex epididymovasostomy.
However, despite popular misconceptions, the length of time between having a vasectomy and a reversal does not actually affect the success rate of the surgery, he adds.
According to El Camino Hospital, as many as 35,000 men who have undergone vasectomies change their mind each year. Remarriage, the loss of a child or a simple change of heart are some of the most common reasons cited by men who seek a reversal, the hospital says.
A vasectomy involves cutting the vas deferens so that sperm is no longer present in a man’s semen.
