Sterilization Reversal

Occasionally a couple will request that a previous sterilization procedure, such a vasectomy or tubal ligation, be reversed. While many vasectomies and some tubal ligations can be repaired by surgery and fertility restored, these procedures should be considered permanent. Some types of tubal ligation are absolutely not repairable because they involve the removal of a large portion of the fallopian tubes.

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For patients who have had a vasectomy in the past five years, reversal usually works. However, many men develop antibodies against their own sperm after a vasectomy, and the persistence of those antibodies can interfere with the ability of the sperm to cause a pregnancy. Also, after a vasectomy reversal, a man usually can't cause a pregnancy immediately.