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Tubal ligation reversal vs. IVF or In Vitro Fertilization
If you have had your tubes tied and are considering IVF it is important to contact a clinic like ours (there are several in the Southern U.S.) to see if your tubal ligation can be reversed. This is important even if your doctor has suggested only IVF. This could save you huge amounts of money and prevent you from being exposed to unnecessary risks.
Strong words? You bet, but tubal reversal is unfortunately a well kept secret. Most of the reasons that IVF costs so much is because the powerful drugs that are used are extremely expensive. The companies that make them have done a wonderful job of selling them to the doctors, the media and the general public. You don’t hear too much about the risks but they are real, including death.
There is a condition called ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome where the ovaries over react to the drugs used in IVF. It usually resolves with time and pain medication, but can require hospitalization and surgery to cure. There have been fatalities reported! The enlarged ovaries can twist, cutting off their own blood supply. If this happens, surgery would be necessary to try and save the ovary.
Another condition caused by IVF is known as Hereroectopic pregnancy. This is where a patient becomes pregnant in the womb and in the tube at the same time. This occurs in approximately 1 out of 1000 pregnancies where IVF is used. Without IVF the risks are about 1 in 100,000. Additionally, the babies that are born as a result of IVF are more likely to be premature and have other health problems. Even the mother is at risk for ovarian cancer later in life due to the use of the ovary-stimulating drugs.
Multiple births are an additional risk with IVF. If you were only to have twins, there are still greater risks for the mother and the babies. (These risks are NOT small!) But, if you do finally decide on IVF, do not allow the doctor to transfer more than 2 embryos. This will dramatically reduce your chances of multiple births. Remember twins, triplets and more are cute in movies but not in real life.
With tubal reversal, your risk of ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy in the tube) increases slightly from about 2% to 6%. We have actually seen this condition less often in our clinic. We believe that our unique procedure of sewing the tubes from the inside out attributes to this success. We also test the tubes with a dye to make sure they are fully open. Additionally, we will educate you as to what steps to take when you do become pregnant, to make sure the baby is in the womb where it belongs.
Your natural inclination is probably to say that reversal is surgery and that has risks, doesn’t it? Yes, it is surgery, but there are far fewer risks in tubal reversal (in a professional clinic such as ours) than in a single month of IVF. Please read that sentence again! A tubal reversal in our clinic is done through a 2 to 3 inch incision right above your pubic hair line. The procedure takes about an hour and most patients are fully recovered in 3 days. We have never had to transfer a patient to a hospital, admit a patient for further care, transfuse anyone or treat them for infection. The risks associated with tubal reversal are even less than the risks you took to tie them in the first place.
See Also:
 Risks
of Tubal Reversal vs. In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
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"Many women who have been told IVF is there only hope to become pregnant
after a tubal ligation are good candidates for a tubal ligation reversal."
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