It is not uncommon for a woman to want to have another baby after tubal ligation

There are many reasons women seek a reversal of their sterilization procedure. In some situations patients have undergone the sterilization procedure and later divorced. When she finds another partner, she may want to have a baby with him. Occasionally, women may simply regret having had a sterilization procedure and want to undo it. Thankfully, there are ways to have a baby after tubal ligation.

Female fertility basics

At ovulation, an egg leaves the ovary and goes to the end of the fallopian tube. The egg remains there until sperm fertilizes it. If fertilization does not occur, the body reabsorbs the egg. A tubal ligation blocks the tube ensure so that the sperm cannot travel to the end of the tube. Therefore, it cannot fertilize an egg

Hope for having a baby after tubal ligation

Patients talk of “untying” their fallopian tubes. This isn’t accurate. To reverse a tubal ligation, a doctor must surgically remove the damaged area of the fallopian tubes. Then, the doctor must sew the remaining tubal segments back together. It is a tedious procedure that usually takes a couple of hours to complete.

Several factors determine thesuccess rate of the procedure. Most importantly, the skill of the surgeon. Also, the highest success rate of reversing a tubal ligation is when the fallopian tube was clipped or a very small portion of the tube was removed.

If the sterilization procedure was performed by cauterizing (burning with an electrical current) or a very large portion of the tube has been removed, the success rate for reversal is much lower. In this situation, it is far better for the woman to undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF). IVF has a very high success rate for most young women desiring to have a baby after a sterilization procedure. And, IVF has a very low ectopic (tubal) pregnancy risk and does not require surgery. Also, if the new male partner has a very low sperm count, the more successful procedure for the couple is to undergo IVF.

Women desiring to become pregnant following sterilization should consult a reproductive endocrinologist who is skilled in fallopian tube reanastomosis (tubal reversal) and IVF. A thorough review of the type of sterilization procedure and a semen analysis will provide the necessary information to make the better decision as to whether the patient should have a reconstructive surgical procedure or undergo IVF.