Vasectomy Reversal vs. In-Vitro Fertilization

Vasectomy Reversal vs. In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF + ICSI)
(Or Why a Reversal is the Logical, Common Sense Approach to Fathering Children after Vasectomy)

Recently Dr. Marks was honored to debate this topic at an international meeting of the world’s top reversal and IVF doctors. The doctors of ICVR believe it is the doctor’s role to provide accurate, up-to-date information so that you can make an informed, educated decision about what is right for you.

The bottom line – when thinking about having children after a vasectomy, it’s important to realize that for most, both the man and woman are healthy. There is no disease or a genetic problem that needs to be overcome. Instead, there is only a small blockage in the vas preventing the flow of sperm from the testicle into the semen.

The goals of a reversal and IVF + ICSI are different. The goal of a reversal is to restore the man’s fertility to allow for natural conception with all of the filters and systems in place. The goal of IVF + ICSI is to bypass all barriers with the man and woman and make a child. Here is a brief summary of the important pros and cons to each of the options, that include, but are not limited to what’s listed below.

Advantages of Vasectomy Reversal
Significantly less expensive – almost 1/3 to 1/5 the cost of IVF
High success (up to 99.5%) in experienced hands
Very effective any number of years from vasectomy
Well tolerated, safe with very low risks
Allows for natural conception
No increased risks to the mother or the offspring
Couples can continue to try to have more children at no additional costs or risks in the future

Advantages of IVF/ICSI
It allows you to have a child faster
Makes sense if there are female or male fertility factors that would prevent natural conception
Allows for gender selection and genetic testing of the embryos

Disadvantages of Vasectomy Reversal
Results depend on skill and expertise of the surgeon
Pregnancy can take time for natural conception, as with healthy couples that have never had a vasectomy and reversal
If you need an epididymal bypass your chances for having sperm in the semen are lower, at 70 to 90% with a more variable return
There is a small chance the repair can scar up, though this can usually be reversed with medications

Disadvantages of IVF / ICSI
Extremely expensive, from $12,000 to $25,000 or more for the first cycle, with additional costs for every subsequent cycle. Some couples report paying $50,000 to $200,000 with no child
It can take 1 to 3 or more cycles for couples to have a child
Not 100% so there are still couples that go through multiple cycles and still don’t have a child
Rare but very serious and potentially life-threatening risks to the mother from
-extreme hormone stimulation, which include strokes, blood clots, loss of a limb
-pelvic infection/abscess or hemorrhage from egg retrieval
-obstetric and delivery complications and hemorrhage from pregnancy with twins, triplets or more to include ectopic pregnancies and the need for C sections with all the associated increased risks
Health risks for the babies are more common with multiple pregnancies – twins, triplets or more – which can be very serious with lifelong consequences to include infant death, brain injury and cerebral palsy
IVF/ICSI also requires invasive procedures for the man to retrieve sperm to inject into the eggs, with associated rare risks

For healthy couples where the only problem is the vasectomy, most agree that its smarter to choose the much safer, far less expensive and more natural reversal vs. IVF with all of it’s serious and potentially fatal risks to the mother and the offspring.

Just because it can’t be done does not mean it should be done.

Please call or email us if you would like to talk about how a vasectomy reversal may be the right answer for you, 888-722-2929 or info@dadsagain.com.