One of the most crucial milestones in a woman’s life is becoming a mother and having children. Though pregnancy and childbirth might be difficult at times, every woman looks forward to this moment as one of the most precious ones. While birth control has become a global topic of conversation, many eager women in their middle ages are seeking ways to expand their families, even after undergoing operations to achieve permanent birth control.
With life always surprising us, circumstances and relationships change, which may result in a shift in family-building ambitions. Despite having chosen the road of permanent sterilization, many women seek information on potential fertility alternatives within a few years of undergoing tubal sterilization. In this blog, we will tell you the best alternative to get pregnant after undergoing tubal sterilization.
Exploring Available Options for Pregnancy
The most commonly recommended options for female patients who have undergone surgeries to prevent pregnancy are a surgical reversal of sterilization, also known as Tube Reversal, or the procedure of In Vitro Fertilization, or IVF, which is a worldwide known fertility treatment with high success rates. While both treatments might serve your purpose of having children, it is better to ask yourself the following questions before deciding which treatment to avail:
- Which is your preferred treatment option among these two?
- Which approach is the most cost-effective?
- Which is safer, easier, and less risky according to female age?
- Which approach is most likely to deliver the desired results?
To answer all of these expected inquiries, let’s explore the possibilities and analyze both options separately.
Tube (block) Reversal
Tube (block) Reversal is a short-stay, outpatient operation that restores contact between tubal segments. This is a minor treatment performed with microsurgical techniques. Essentially, this method is designed to assist women who want to become pregnant without requiring more extensive medical care.
Process Involved in Tube Reversal
The obstructed parts of the fallopian tubes are reconnected to the rest of the fallopian tubes, allowing the eggs to travel easily up the tubes and interact with the sperm.
Your doctor will examine your medical history before recommending a Tube Reversal treatment. Age, weight, and fertility parameters (egg count, sperm quality) are taken into account.
Furthermore, one must consider the post-operative recovery period and time away from work, which is normally brief but may be extended. Your doctors will also investigate the possible complications of an ectopic pregnancy.
However, it is worth noting that not all types of tubal sterilization are reversible. If the earlier fallopian tube segments are short or have been damaged as a result of surgery or infection, Tube Reversal may not be the best option. As a result, your doctor would clearly identify these aspects in order to reach a judgment.
As part of the pre-surgical tests, an in-depth analysis of the male partner’s semen sample is performed.
Typically, it takes three months to determine whether or not the Tube Reversal surgery was successful. Furthermore, it is possible that the patient will not become pregnant for nearly two years following the surgery’s success.
In-vitro fertilization (IVF)
IVF, or In-vitro fertilization, is becoming increasingly popular as a very effective alternative to tube reversal. Since its introduction in 1970, this technique has been developed and continues to make tremendous progress with very high success rates.
To put it simply, IVF is a procedure in which an egg is fertilized in a lab and then transferred to a woman’s uterus. This fosters pregnancy by totally bypassing the Fallopian tubes. As a result, activities that would normally occur in the fallopian tubes take place in the laboratory, resulting in a tubal bypass.
Why IVF?
Although women under the age of 35 who want to have children after undergoing Tube Ligation may consider Tube Reversal, published studies for all age groups show that the success-per-cycle rates in IVF are higher than those for tubal reversal.
Compared to a Tube Reversal procedure, IVF can be considered an effective treatment, especially for concerns such as advanced age, tube damage beyond repair, and male factor infertility. The IVF process enables the selection of the strongest and healthiest embryos, making it a realistic alternative for a healthy pregnancy.
IVF also has a relatively short post-procedure recovery time. However, given the sensitivity of the operation, it is always best to find a reputable IVF facility with a high success rate, to ensure no complications arise during your treatment.
Conclusion
Doctors affiliated with prominent medical institutions recommend IVF over Tube Reversal, although this is not without reason. Though the cost difference between the two treatments is minimal, IVF has fewer risks and higher success rates than Tube Reversal. According to the findings, the odds of ectopic pregnancy with Tube Reversals are up to 20%, whereas the chances with IVF are almost negligible, going as low as 3%. The success rate of IVF pregnancy after tube sterilization is also higher than that of tube reversal procedures. It may be worthy to even note that, unlike a Tube Reversal surgery, IVF does not necessitate a lengthy hospital stay, which allows you a quick recovery and lets you get back to your daily life’s routine without much delay.