Just got a message from JB and MC from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Great couple and he has to be on of the funniest guys I've met. They wanted to get pregnant naturally. The only problem was that she had had her fallopian tubes tied and he had had a vasectomy. In 2008, she underwent a tubal reanastamosis (where they reconnect the fallopian tubes) by Jim Thompson MD at the Center of Reproductive Medicine (Nice work, Jim!); and in 2009, he had a microsurgical vasectomy reversal after it was confirmed that her operation worked. During the vasectomy reversal, we were excited to find complete sperm coming from the pipes (vas deferens) when we opened them up and took a look at the fluid under the microscope. As a result, we were able to perform the more simple vasectomy reversal on both sides (vasovasostomies). Moving sperm was seen in his ejaculate at 4 weeks and they got pregnant 5 months after the surgery. While the chances of a pregnancy are lower since both the tubal reanastomosis and the vasectomy reversal have to work, it still is possible just like in this case. Pretty neat! As always, it's a joy to see great things happen to great people! Thanks for sharing the great news. -Dr. K

Just got a call from the wife of one of my patients who is now pregnant. Interesting situation. This couple came to me after J had had a vasectomy 11 years ago. Making sure they knew all of their options, they had already seen the IVF doctors and felt that a vasectomy reversal resonated best with their reproductive philosophy. We performed the vasectomy reversal and it required the more complex "bypass" vasoepididymostomy connection on one side and the more simple vasovasostomy connection on the other side. With every reversal, there are three steps in the journey...the first step is to bring the pipes together where it will give a couple the best chances of getting sperm back, the second step is that the body has to heal in a way to keep the pipes open and finally the testicles have to "come back up to speed" and start producing sperm the way they used to. Obviously, as vasectomy reversal surgeons, we have the most control over the first step and are able to bring the pipes together either with the more simple or the more complex reversal depending on what the fluid looks like coming from the pipes during the operation. The last two steps are harder for us to control; consequently, I put our men on anti-inflammatories and anti-oxidant therapy. In this man's situation, no one would have expected that he would have such a drastic inflammatory reaction to having the surgery. Without any obvious signs of infection and having received antibiotics during and after the surgery, his scrotum and all the associated tissues just became very inflamed. Unfortunately, this lingered for a while and even though we eventually got sperm back, the numbers and the motility were not sufficient for natural conception or inseminations. After discussing a redo vasectomy reversal, they decided on pursuing IVF. It is felt by some that testicular sperm that are fresh off the assembly lines may be a better source of sperm for some men, we performed a small office procedure to obtain some testicular sperm to be used in addition to his ejaculated sperm for the IVF. Staying in close contact with them throughout this whole reproductive journey, it is a real joy to see them achieve a pregnancy with IVF. They are expecting in October 2010. Thanks for keeping us up to date and letting us be a part of such a magical time in your lives. - Dr. K

With a thousand people in the congregation, it was an amazing feeling to see Ida baptized and to think that a vasectomy reversal helped bring her into this world. I met her incredibly loving parents in 2007. Her dad had had a vasectomy 13 years earlier, and her mom was 38 years old. For them, vasectomy reversal resonated with their reproductive philosophy and timetable, and we were able to to perform the more simple vasectomy reversals (vasovasostomies) on both sides. Sperm came back at 6 weeks and by three months, he had 102 million sperm with 78% motility in his ejaculate. Pregnant only 7 months after the vasectomy reversal, Ida was born in the spring of 2009. To be a part of her baptism a year later was tremendous. Coming to New Mexico to start the Southwest Fertility Center for Men, we wanted to one day be able to say that we were making a difference in the lives of patients, bringing joy into their lives, and becoming part of this community. Sitting in the church watching the priest dunk the naked and wriggly Ida into the water as her parents smiled, it was nice to see that our hard work was making a difference and it inspires me and my team to strive even harder to provide the best possible fertility and vasectomy reversal care to the couples we meet. Thanks for the invite to the baptism. -Dr. K

RW of Albuquerque, New Mexico dropped into our clinic today for a welcomed surprise visit...with a beautiful photo of his daughter. What an amazing story...With the unfortunate loss of a child, he and his wife who is 41 years old sought to rebuild their family with a vasectomy reversal. Recognizing her age and its potential impact on her fertility, they were educated about IVF so that they could make a really informed decision. After discussing all the options, they chose to proceed with a vasectomy reversal. No matter what one's religious/spiritual beliefs are, it continues to amaze me that the random date we gave them for surgery ended up being the birthday of the child they had lost! We ended up doing the more complex bypass vasoepididymostomy on the right and the more simple vasovasostomy on the left.We had sperm back within 6 weeks and using a combination of inseminations and good 'ole fashioned intercourse, they found out they were pregnant 9 months later on Xmas day!!! Amazing...and now they have a beautiful and healthy daughter. While the age of the female partner should always be a significant consideration for any couple, this couple continues to remind me that vasectomy reversal success IS possible even when the woman is in her 40's. Thanks for stopping by. You made our day!!!! - Dr. K

Just got a great call during clinic from James R. from near Colorado Springs. His wife missed her period and they were ecstatic to see that her EPT pregnancy test turned positive only 7 months since his vasectomy reversal. What's neat about James and his wife are that they knew things were going to work out. It had been 22 years since his vasectomy and she had seen an IVF specialist who told her that she was not a good candidate for IVF due to poor ovarian reserve (poor numbers of eggs). Additionally, she was 38 years old turning 39 and her reproductive window was beginning to narrow. The cards were stacked against them but they both knew that it would be alright. At the time of surgery, there was a more than 40% chance that he would require the more complex bypass reversals but amazingly, he beat the odds and only required the more simple vasectomy reversal on both sides. Then at their very first post-operative visit, they knew there would be sperm even before I looked and they were correct. He then told me they would be pregnant within the year, and he was correct again. Despite it being 22 years since his vasectomy and her suboptimal fertility, I continue to be humbled by the human body and what it can do despite what all the statistics may say. Pretty awesome to see. Thanks for sharing. -Dr. K