A Change Of Heart With Tubal Reversal
For personal or medical reasons, many women decide on tubal ligation as a form of contraception. Tubal ligation prevents eggs from entering the fallopian tube through clipping or cutting these tubes. Despite the effectiveness of tubal ligation, some women may reconsider. A tubal reversal procedure unties the tubes using a minimally invasive procedure. This allows the woman to attempt pregnancy naturally.
Tubal reversal and pregnancy
A tubal reversal procedure does not guarantee a pregnancy. Age plays a significant factor. Women aged 35 and over struggle to get pregnant even without tubal ligation. From age 40, the success rate is around 5%. The type of tubal ligation and scar tissue after reversal are all crucial factors. In some women, previous health issues would impact pregnancy.
Is IVF an option?
With no health issues and a successful reversal, the chance of a natural pregnancy is good for young women. If pregnancy does not happen after several cycles, seek help from a reproductive specialist. A fertility review can help the specialist decide on in vitro fertilization (IVF). IVF extracts eggs to create embryos with sperm. The mature embryos are implanted in the uterus, bypassing the fallopian tubes.
What to expect during IVF
The fertility clinic will prescribe fertility medication to increase follicle production to start the process. After 14 days, a fertility specialist will extract the follicles with a simple surgical procedure. The follicles are then passed to a lab to create embryos with the chosen sperm sample. After a few days, one mature embryo is transferred to the uterus. The entire process can take several weeks and, in some cases, multiple cycles.
A second chance
IVF significantly increases the chances of pregnancy. The success rate is approximately 30%, which improves with every cycle. Of course, some risks and obstacles come with IVF and tubal reversal. With the tubal reversal, there is the chance of an ectopic pregnancy, which can be prevented with IVF. IVF can also be time-consuming and financially taxing. Discuss risks and concerns with the fertility team for the best possible outcome.
