Microsurgical Vasectomy Reversal
Robert U. Finnerty M.D. FACS
The following table shows the expected technical success rates for vasectomy reversal based on the time since vasectomy. These numbers are drawn from Dr. Finnerty”s personal experience with over 3500 vas reversals.
Keep in mind that these are statistical averages, meant to give you a general indication of your chances for success with reversal surgery. They are not a guarantee of success for a specific patient, because individual circumstances (such as an individual’s age and health, spousal fertility, surgical findings, etc.) can and do vary widely. Remember also that while technical success is a prerequisite for pregnancy, it is not an assurance of pregnancy.
| Vasectomy Reversal Success Rates | |
|---|---|
| Years After Vasectomy | % With Sperm Postop |
| 0-3 Years | 93% |
| 4-6 Years | 90% |
| 7-10 Years | 85% |
| 11-15 Years | 75% |
| 16-20 Years | 50% |
| Over 20 Years | 35-40% |
The decline in success rates with years after vasectomy is in part a reflection of the greater chance of requiring an epididymal repair when the time after vasectomy is longer. Because epididymal repairs are technically very demanding and have a higher failure rate, the overall success rate therefore declines. Vas-to-vas (VV) repairs performed even 20 or more years after vasectomy can be expected to technically succeed greater than 90% of the time.
However, new techniques of microsurgical epididymal repair (VE) are greatly improving the success rates of this very difficult operation, and success rates on epididymal repairs are now far better than even a few years ago. Because of the recent introduction of these techniques, the resulting improvements in success are not yet fully reflected in the above results.