The way we do it, typically, is with a microscope because we need fine instruments and magnified vision to really assess the tube that carries the sperm because it’s very small. And what we’ll do is, while you’re sleeping in the operating room, we’ll find the former vasectomy site, trim up both sides and make sure that you have a nice and clean vas on both sides, the proximal and the distal end, and we’ll put them back together using the microscope.

We’ll often use really fine sutures to put this back together, such as a 9 and a 10-0 suture. There’s different ways of doing it. There’s two-layer closures, modified one-layer closures, but what’s important is you find someone that will take the time and care to put it back together correctly. The surgery typically takes about two hours, sometimes longer, but if you’re able to put the vas back together, that’s typically how long it would take. Recovery typically takes about a week. You’ll wake up, maybe be in a little bit of discomfort, but you should be numbed from the medication that we use at the time of the surgery. And you’ll go home. You may have some pain medication that we’ll provide, and we’ll provide some instructions on icing and really to just take it easy for the next several weeks to ensure that the repair of the vasectomy doesn’t come apart.

So we’ll provide you some supportive underwear and the appropriate medications around the time of the surgery. Vasectomy reversals are an important part of life. I mean, sometimes you make a decision to get a vasectomy and things happen: divorce, remarriage or you just decide that you want to have another kid. And that’s completely normal. So what we try to do is we try to select patients that we think will do well with the vasectomy reversal and book them for an appropriate surgery. I’ll talk a little bit about maybe who would be a candidate for a vasectomy reversal. Now, say you get a patient, John, who’s 35 years old, who’s had a vasectomy for… That had a vasectomy three years ago. He’ll come in and talk to me maybe that he got remarried and that he wants to have more kids. And what I’ll tell him is we need to evaluate a few things prior to proceeding with a vasectomy reversal. And some of the things that we’ll talk about will be just about how long ago the vasectomy was, that’s important, and knowing how successful the vasectomy reversal will be.

I’ll also examine John and make sure that we can feel the vasectomy site, the proximal and the distal end of the cutting of that drainage tube. And the longer that end is towards the testicle, the better chance at having a successful vasectomy reversal will be. In addition, if you feel something called a granuloma, that’s favorable, and it says that the vasectomy reversal will work more often than if you didn’t feel a granuloma. Another super important factor has nothing to do with John. It actually has to do with maybe who he wants to have a child with. If that patient’s older the age of 35 to 37, their fertility potential goes down because the number of eggs that a woman has as they age declines. So, the younger the female partner and, additionally, the general health of the female partner is all important.

So if you think you may be interested in a vasectomy reversal, I think the first step would be to call and make an appointment to see me at Northwoods Urology. You can call 281-404-3000 to make an appointment. What we’ll do is we’ll have a thoughtful discussion as to if this is a reasonable option for you and the success rates associated with a vasectomy reversal procedure. Again, I’m Russell Libby with Northwoods Urology of Texas. If you think you’d like to sit down and talk about it a vasectomy reversal, I’d be happy to discuss. You can either visit us on our website at northwoodsurology.com or call and make an appointment with us at 281-404-3000.