How to Increase Male Fertility after Vasectomy Reversal | Minnesota

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Although successful vasectomy is critical step for your fertility, keeping your sperm healthy is also important for increasing your fertility. This blog will talk about the health of your sperm, and how it may help you to understand the various factors that can affect male fertility.

Sperm health depends on various factors, including sperm quantity, quality and movement. The more sperm in each ejaculation you have, the more sperm with a normal shape and structure, or if more than 40 percent of your sperm are moving, the more likely you are to be fertile. Aging does affect sperm health. Sperm movement and the number of healthy sperm might decline after age 50, affecting a man’s fertility.

family_14There are some simple steps in changing your lifestyle to boost your fertility. It is helpful to eat a healthy diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, exercise daily, and reduce your weight. Obesity may negatively affect sperm quality, reducing both sperm count and sperm movement. Smoking, alcohol and illegal drugs also affect sperm count, quality and movement. Quit smoking, drink less than two glasses of alcohol or coffee daily, and lose the extra pounds to achieve a healthy weight. Also stay away from toxins, such as pesticides and lead, however if you must work with them, do so safely with protective clothing and safety precautions. Taking supplements may not actually be beneficial, so focus more on your overall health.

Stress can decrease sexual function and interfere with the hormones needed to produce sperm. If the body is under stress, whether it is emotional, physical or financial, it does not help male fertility. One great way to reduce stress is to force your body to relax with getting enough sleep, exercise, yoga, and getting a massage or acupuncture on a regular basis.

Always practice safe sex. Sexually transmitted diseases are a leading cause of infertility for both men and women. Most lubricants during sex will also interfere with sperm movement.

Try to stay away from certain heat sources because increased scrotal temperature can affect sperm production. Avoid hot tubs and hot baths (showers are fine). Also avoid wearing tight underwear or athletic shorts. If you bike or remain seated for long periods of time, take frequent breaks. Don’t place a laptop computer directly on your lap. Don’t keep your cell phone in your pants pocket.

Be cautious with medications, especially Calcium channel blockers, tricyclic antidepressants, anti-androgens, and anabolic steroids, as they can affect your fertility. Chemotherapy drugs and radiation can cause irreversible infertility.

$2750 All Inclusive Affordable Vasectomy Reversal Service | Minnesota

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Summary: The expense of vasectomy reversals is an important factor that discourages couples wanting to have another child. One Stop Medical Center has been offering $2750 all inclusive for an affordable vasectomy reversal service, helping couples conceive children naturally.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (SEPTEMBER 17, 2016) – There are approximately half a million men who undergo a vasectomy every year in the U.S. About 7% of them would want a vasectomy reversal. Whereas the cost of vasectomies is usually less than $1000 and are covered by most insurance companies, reversals are not, so couples have to pay for the expensive procedure with cash. If the reversal is performed in a hospital or surgical center, this, in turn, accelerates the cost, further discouraging couples wanting to have another child.

One Stop Medical Center has been offering an Affordable Vasectomy Reversal Service since the creation of the Vasectomy & Reversal Center of Minnesota 4 years ago. It continues to Offer $2750 for a vasovasostomy procedure.

The aim of vasovasostomy is to reconnect the vas where it was severed at the time of vasectomy, making it a true reverse vasectomy, which makes the most sense for men whose intervals are short (less than 10 years vasectomy) . Vasovasostomy (VV) takes about two hours. It is performed under local anesthesia, similar to the anesthesia used for vasectomy but with a longer-acting drug. Continuity of both vas tubes can be restored with micro-surgical techniques through a single small incision with the assistance of magnification.

We are able to lower your costs by not charging any facility fees and anesthesia fees, but never sacrifice our quality of service. The medical director, Dr. Steven Shu, is an expert in office procedures who is dedicated to helping couples conceive children naturally, and he performs about 150 vasectomy reversal procedures every year.

Factors Affecting the Pregnancy in Vasectomy Reversal Procedures | Minnesota

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Sperm recovery is the first goal in the success of a vasectomy reversal procedure. We all know the ultimate measure of success in vasectomy reversal procedure is a pregnancy. There are several factors affecting pregnancy in vasectomy reversal procedures, and these factors are outlined here.

1. A pregnancy involves male and female partners. If both of the count and quality of sperm after vasectomy reversal surgery are good, female fertility factors may play an indirect role in pregnancy failure.

A woman’s age affects her fertility. The decline in fertility begins to accelerate after 35. Advanced maternal age is a common reason for vasectomy reversal failure. Therefore, female partners age >35 years old should consider an evaluation to determine if they have adequate fertility before a vasectomy reversal is undertaken.

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This evaluation panel of fertility usually includes

  • Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and estradiol levels at a menstrual cycle day 3.
  • Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) levels.
  • Assessment of menstrual regularity.
  • Hysterosalpingogram

2. Up to 60% of men with vasectomies develop antisperm antibodies in their body, which may impair fertility. Antisperm antibodies are usually assessed >6-12 months after the vasectomy reversal if no pregnancy has ensued.

3. A man may have abnormal sperm quality even before the vasectomy, especially in men without prior paternity. This could be a reason for pregnancy failure.

4. A number of men fail who have been placed on testosterone replacement before vasectomy reversal procedure, and they continue to use it afterwards. Testosterone is a very effective form of male birth control, effectively stopping sperm production.

5. If an epididymal blowout has occurred in both sides of vas deferens before the vasovasostomy procedure, the vasectomy reversal will likely fail. In this case, an epididymovasostomy would need to be performed.

6. Not only is epididymis a “storage site” or, but also is where sperm mature. In certain patients, their epididymis is adversely affected after the vas deferens has been blocked for a long time. In these patients, sperm counts may be normal, but sperm functions (movement and penetration ability) may be poor after vasectomy reversal. Most patients will gradually recover from epididymal dysfunction.

7. Sometimes, scar tissue develops at the site of anastomosis, causing a blockage and late failure. It may be treated with anti-inflammatory medication or could consider repeating vasectomy reversal procedure.

Factors Affecting the Sperm Recovery Rate of Vasovasostomy

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The microsurgical vasovasostomy is a treatment of choice in restoring sperm to the ejaculate and in establishing pregnancy for men wishing to resume paternity after vasectomy. The success of the reversal is dependent upon the length of time since the vasectomy, vasectomy techniques, the experience of the surgeon, and many other factors.

Success rate for vasectomy reversal is generally reported in two ways: sperm recovery rate (patency success rate) and pregnancy rate. This blog will talk about sperm recovery rate after vasovasectomy. The relationship of pregnancy rates and reversal procedures will be discussed in a separate blog.

The sperm recovery rate of vasovasostomy is influenced by several factors.

1. The single most important factor in whether a vasectomy reversal procedure will be successful is the interval in time (years) between the vasectomy and the vasectomy reversal. Our clinic data is consistent with reported studies demonstrating that sperm recovery rate after vasovasostomy is inversely related to the duration of vasal obstruction after vasectomy. Vasectomy has time dependent adverse effects on the testis, epididymis, and vas deferens (this will be discussed separately).

2. The surgical technique of vasectomy also affects the success rate of vasovasostomy. If the surgeon or family physician uses a technique that is difficult to reverse, such as cutting or burning away too long of segments of vas, or cutting too high or too low, then it will be much more difficult to do anastomosis without tension due to the shortage of vas and too much scar in the tissue. The shorter the proximal end, the greater the “back-pressure”, which will cause “blowout” and scarring of the epididymal tubule.

3. The presence of sperm granuloma in the proximal end was associated with better sperm quality at the anastomosis site and had an improved outcome.

4. The quality of vasal fluid was correlated to a successful outcome after vasovasostomy. If the vasal fluid is clear and lightly milky in color, it is more likely that sperm will be found in the ejaculate following vasovasostomy.

5. The presence of sperm in the fluid retrieved from the proximal vas deferens before anastomosis was highly correlated with successful patency.

6. Finally, the surgeon’s experience and microsurgical skills is important for successful vasectomy reversal procedures.

  • If the ends of vas are not precisely aligned, it may result in leakage of sperm fluid, inflammation, and scarring. While technical failures can occur even with a very experienced microsurgeon, they are far more likely in less experienced surgeons.
  • Many vasectomy physicians use cautery during vasectomy procedures. Careless and extensive cauterization damages the blood supply to a long length of the vas. Vasectomy reversal procedures could further cause inadequate blood supply to the vas. Scar tissue develops at the site of anastomosis, causing a blockage and late failure. This type of failure usually results in some sperm being present early after surgery, with failure 3-12 months later.

    • Therefore, it is important to ask how many reversal procedures the surgeon does every year, as there are will be a big difference between a surgeon who does less than ten reversal procedures and a surgeon who does 200 reversal procedures every year.

    Reversal-Friendly Vasectomy Technique | Minneapolis & St Paul

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    Dr. Shu has performed no scalpel vasectomy for 14 years. Recently, one of his previous vasectomy patients came for the vasectomy reversal. He lives in Minneapolis. He and his wife changed their mind and wanted more kids now. The patient was told that it would be difficult to reverse it because Dr. Shu’s old vasectomy technique was quite “aggressive”, although the patient had a successful reversal during the surgery.

    Like many surgeons, Dr. Shu stopped performing “aggressive” no scalpel vasectomy since he started offering the vasectomy reversal last year. He used to cut off a small segment of vas on each side and destroy the lining of the tube on both ends with a cautery. This technique meets the concept of permanent sterilization, but it is not reversal friendly.

    Now Dr. Shu adopted the open-end and reverse-friendly vasectomy technique. He no longer cuts off a segment of vas, and he no longer cauterizes both ends of vas. Instead, he destroys the lining of the tube on the upper end only and keeps the healthy vas as long as possible. This reversal friendly technique will significantly improve the success of reversal in case patients change their mind and want more children in the future.

    Low Cost Vasectomy Reversal in Minnesota

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    Finally, low cost vasectomy reversal is here for men in Minnesota and surrounding states. Dr. Shu of One Stop Medical Center is quickly expanding his practice in vasectomy and vasectomy reversal by offering low cost procedures.

    Life changes and some people regret having their vasectomy, but can’t afford the reversal procedure. “That’s why we are here, so that anyone who needs a reversal can get one,” says Dr. Shu.

    These fees are less than what other places will charge. There are a number of reasons for this:

    • Since vasectomy reversal is performed in our accredited private surgical center, there are no facility fees.
    • Because it is done under local anesthesia, there are no fees for an anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist.
    • We purposely lowered the price, so more people can benefit from it.

    According to published data, someone who receives a reversal within 10 years of having their vasectomy will have greater odds. The best chance for the returning of live sperm is less than three years after the original vasectomy.

    The minimally-invasive procedure performed at One Stop Medical Center is known as Vasovasostomy; it is performed under local anesthesia with the assistance of an operating microscope (microsurgery) and typically takes 2-3 hours to complete.