Vasectomy Reversals Using Modern Microsurgical Methods

Yes – at Metrocentre, our advanced Owen 3-Layer Technique results in a very high success rate.

When searching for a clinic to conduct your vasectomy reversal procedure, it is important to not only ask for success rates but also actual birth rates.

The successes at Metrocentre are attributed to the personal three years of training given to Dr Lekich by Professor Owen, who pioneered and perfected microsurgery and the Owen 3-Layer Vasectomy Reversal Procedure.

Yes - by having a vasectomy!

If you have had your vasectomy reversal and wish to be sterile again you can have another vasectomy.

At Metrocentre we have performed many successful double reverse vasectomies.

These are procedures where there has been a vasectomy, then a reversal, another vasectomy and then another reversal. These procedures were not only successful but have resulted in the birth of many children. The success will depend on the technique used for the previous procedures, if conducted elsewhere, as well as the time since each procedure.

During this procedure we use heavy twilight sedation to take advantage of the benefits of general anaesthetic without the associated risks…

This means that our patients can experience a rapid recovery and discharge from our facility and avoid the risk of vomiting. Twilight sedation is especially advantageous for our fly in/fly outpatients as they can return to their accommodation with their partners after this procedure. It is important to inform us of your medical history and any drug allergies you have experienced before undertaking this procedure.

A man can still ejaculate after a vasectomy procedure; however, this semen will not contain any sperm.

Semen is produced by glands located in the pelvis called the seminal vesicles and the prostate, and this is added to the sperm to create normal ejaculate. This seminal fluid makes up about 95% of the ejaculate and so men who have undergone a vasectomy may not notice any difference in the volume of ejaculate.

The testicles will continue to produce sperm after a vasectomy, so if both vas deferens have been tied off, the stream of sperm is simply blocked in the vas tube.

The Owen 3-Layer Micro-Surgical Vasectomy Reversal is a highly viable option for men who would like to reverse the contraceptive effects of their previous surgery.

This procedure re-connects the vas tube to allow the sperm to mix with the semen once more to create fertile seminal fluid. There are few viable alternatives to this procedure apart from IVF.

When selecting a clinic to perform this procedure it is highly important that you examine the success rates (not simply the pregnancies) that each clinic experiences. 

We perform high volume Owen 3-Layer Micro-Surgical Vasectomy Reversals.

Dr Chris Lekich is one of the most experienced microsurgeons in the world and has been able to perform many successful re-do vasectomy reversals! See our repeat vasectomy reversals page.

Our doctors personalised use of ultrasound for assessment and planning of the scrotum.

Ultrasound allows visualisation of the structures in detail, and from this we can map and plan the surgery, reducing the need for “exploration” during the procedure. The high-resolution scanning of over 8000 sides since 2008 has enabled us to see diverse pathology and details of the micro-tubules deep within the body of the testicle, epididymis and scrotum, NOT visible with the naked eye or with the microscope. This is particularly useful for past IVF extractions and past failed vasectomy reversal attempts. The ultrasound mapping has allowed our doctors to advise patients regarding the likelihood of surgical success – particularly patients who have had previous scrotal procedures and previous failed vasectomy reversals.

For example: one patient had his vasectomy 23 years ago, had two failed reversal attempts elsewhere and then had three sperm extractions through IVF. Several clinics had told him that reversal was now impossible. After careful ultrasound assessment and planning, we successfully reversed this patient – achieving a 35 million sperm per ml count nine months after our procedure, with a wound that was one (1) cm in length on both sides. His wife is currently pregnant with their baby.

For this reason, we invite patients who have been told nothing can be done to reverse their vasectomy or have had failed vasectomy reversal/s to consider a second opinion

The use of the ultrasound has facilitated the delivery of safe and minimally invasive Owen 3-Layer Micro-Surgical Vasectomy Reversals, difficult vasectomies and the management of post vasectomy congestion syndrome. Coupled with our doctors micro-surgical training, the ultrasound has helped our team assess and plan what often becomes relatively straightforward surgery once there is a clear map. This is particularly important in the following challenging cases.

• Failed vasectomy reversal/s.
• Multiple IVF sperm aspirations.
• Past scrotal trauma.
• Past scrotal surgery (torsion, undescended testis, varicocele and hydrocoele).
• Where patients have been told that a vasectomy reversal is not possible due to the original vasectomy.
• A combination of all the above.

There has been open criticism with regards to the use of ultrasound by competing surgeons, with suggestions that this is a waste of time. At Metrocentre we respect these opinions as all surgeons try their best – open exploration has been commonplace during vasectomy reversal procedures for many years. With the benefit of ultrasound, our team has almost eliminated the need to explore the scrotum during the procedure, which preserves the precious vas deferens. This subsequently reduces the risk of bleeding. To date we have never had a patient experience a scrotal haematoma after surgery. We do not routinely use drains which are often used in other practices.

Most patients experience virtually zero post-operative pain associated with this procedure.

If you do experience some mild discomfort in the first few days after this procedure, paracetamol can be used to offer relief. A comprehensive summary of the postoperative instructions will be provided well before your procedure.

There are several steps that are used to assist the anastomosis (joining) of the vas tubes

At Metrocentre we recommend the following for the first four weeks after surgery:

• Avoid sexual intercourse
• Avoid participating in any type of “jiggly” activity such as running, jumping, swimming, surfing and horse riding (walking is fine)
• Work may be resumed reasonably soon after the procedure. That said, some occupations involving heavy activity may require a longer period off.
• Patients are required to attend a postoperative review and so if you are travelling from interstate, it is important to discuss your travel plans with our team when booking your procedure

With good care you should experience a swift and successful recovery from your Owen 3-Layer Micro-Surgical Vasectomy Reversal procedure.

Contrary to popular belief, sperm antibodies do not make male patients infertile.

Every man who has had a vasectomy is virtually guaranteed to have sperm antibodies develop as a natural response to the presence of a new protein within the body.

When the sperm protein is detected in the body after a vasectomy procedure, this triggers the immune system to produce antibodies (or white blood cells) which attack the sperm cells present outside of the reproductive tract.

This process is not a cause for concern for men who have developed sperm antibodies in response to a vasectomy procedure as these antibodies only attack sperm cells in the blood stream. With more than 18,000 immature sperm cells developed every minute by mature males, these lost sperm cells are easily replaced. Contrary to myths, these sperm antibodies do not cause any health-related problems or prevent a vasectomy reversal from working.

Sperm Antibodies – How are they Significant?

It has long been shown that sperm antibodies are not significant after a vasectomy reversal. This has been disproved over 40 years in the practices of the pioneers of microsurgical vasectomy reversals Professor Earl Owen (Australia) and Dr Sherman Siber (USA). This has been confirmed scientifically and has also been noted not to be significant in the practice of Dr Lekich.  This issue is made interesting by numerous patients in Dr Lekich’s practice testing up to almost 100% positive for sperm antibodies by IVF labs, yet they still fathered children naturally after their reversals with us.

Some of our patients who have had a reversal with us (and then had a baby) have chosen to have a sperm antibody test for their own information. Two of these patients, both having had multiple rounds of IVF without success before they had the reversal (and subsequent baby) with us, were happy to share their results with us. These two results came back with 100% agglutination and comments by the pathology company that this indicated that they were infertile, and that IVF was the only option to achieve a pregnancy.  Yet, they had both just fathered children after our reversal.

It is generally stated in IVF circles that sperm antibodies will render a vasectomy reversal a failure. This very controversial issue of sperm antibodies has been long criticised by Professor Owen and is explored in further detail by Dr Sherman Silber both a pioneer in IVF and Vasectomy Reversal in USA at (https://www.infertile.com/). A failure of vasectomy reversal would rarely be from sperm antibodies.

Some women may develop sperm antibodies which can result in permanent infertility, but this unfortunate and rare condition is not connected with a vasectomy procedure whatsoever.

Our doctors use the advanced Owen 3-Layer Close technique, pioneered and perfected by Professor Owen since 1971. This technique has been used in over 6000 procedures and draws on over 50 years of microsurgical research and experience. Our procedure has been optimised for success and is performed in a purpose-built, licensed hospital at Miami on the Gold Coast. 

Our highly experienced team has successfully reversed vasectomies performed anywhere from 1 to 34 years ago.

The success rate of the Owen 3-Layer closure technique has enabled the following success rates:

Years since vasectomy vs Success Rate:

• 0-5 years : 80-90%
• 6-10 years : 70-80%
• 11-15 years : 65-75%
• 16-20 years : 50-65%

Several factors can influence the success of this reversal procedure, and these include:

• The time between the original vasectomy and the reversal procedure
• The technique employed for the original vasectomy
• The precision, experience, skill and equipment your chosen team employs