A Personal Choice offers an excellent alternative to in vitro fertilization (IVF) – namely, tubal surgery to untie tubes and correct tubal blockage. If you have had your fallopian tubes tied (tubal ligation) or have blocked tubes and want to become pregnant, then tubal surgery may be the best treatment for you.
Reconstructive Tubal Surgery
Tubal surgery is the alternative to IVF for treating infertility resulting from tubal blockage due to scar tissue or adhesions. Tubal blockage may result from a pelvic infection (pelvic inflammatory disease or PID), endometriosis, or previous surgery. In these cases, the fallopian tubes can be repaired by removing the adhesions and opening the blocked end of the fallopian tubes. This operation is called salpingostomy. Salpingostomy is most effective for tubes blocked at their fimbrial end which is next to the ovary.
Some women have blocked fallopian tubes due to an inflammatory condition termed salpingitis isthmica nodosa (SIN). This condition causes tubal scarring and blockage at the proximal or isthmic portion of tube that is adjacent to the uterine wall. The operation to correct proximal tubal occlusion is tubal implantation. Tubal implantation is also used for Essure reversal.
Further discussion of fallopian tube diseases and corrective tubal surgery, also called tuboplasty, can be found in this Tubal Reversal Blog article – Fallopian Tube Repair.
Reversal of Tubal Ligation
There are several reasons why tubal ligation reversal is a better alternative to IVF to restore fertility after tubal ligation:
1) Tubal Reversal Has a Higher Success Rate Than IVF
The overall pregnancy success rate after tubal ligation reversal is 70% at A Personal Choice. In comparison, the average IVF success rate throughout the United States is 30% for each attempt. Success rates with tubal ligation reversal can be as high as 80% if the fallopian tubes were blocked with tubal clips or tubal rings.
The pregnancy success rates for 2007 tubal ligation reversal by patient age, method, and tubal segment lengths have been documented in the Tubal Reversal Pregnancy Study that is ongoing at A Personal Choice.
Many women who chose to have a reversal procedure to ‘untie their tied tubes’ will become pregnant. These women will then be able to have additional pregnancies if they desire.
2) Tubal Reversal is More Affordable Than IVF
The cost of tubal reversal is between $4900-6900 at A Personal Choice. Even with the added costs of travel, tubal reversal surgery at our facility is cheaper than the average cost of a single cycle of IVF.
The average cost of a cycle of IVF is between $9000-12000 for a 30% chance of pregnancy. Some patients may have to undergo as many as three cycles of IVF to obtain a single pregnancy. For some couples, IVF can become a very expensive endeavor.
3) Tubal Reversal is More Natural Than IVF
Tubal ligation reversal at our center involves a one-hour surgical procedure to reverse the initial sterilization procedure. We have developed a safe and effective approach to out patient tubal reversal surgery. We use a small incision to minimize discomfort. Our patients then stay overnight in the local Sheraton hotel and are seen by a Tubal Reversal Nurse the next day and discharged home. Patients can attempt pregnancy when they feel comfortable. Some patients become pregnant within two weeks of surgery and most will become pregnant within a year of their tubal reversal.
Many women have the added feeling of being normal again after their tubes are put back together. For many of our patients, this feeling is equally as important as their desire to become pregnant. Many women tell us they want to be back as God intended them.
Couples who have a successful tubal ligation reversal can become pregnant more than one time, naturally, and have as many children as they would like.
IVF involves the use of high dosages of hormones over several weeks. These hormones cause many eggs to be produced. The eggs are then removed from the woman’s body and mixed with the partner’s sperm. After fertilization outside the body, the fertilized eggs (zygotes) are then replaced inside the woman’s uterus. If implantation into the uterine lining is not successful, then the process must be started over again. If a pregnancy does occur, IVF still must be repeated in the future if additional children are desired.
When is IVF the Better Alternative?
IVF is a better alternative than tubal surgery for women with extensive disease from PID or endometriosis, or for women whose partners have severely abnormal sperm. When combined with the use of donor eggs (eggs from another woman in her twenties), donor egg IVF has a higher pregnancy rate for women in their forties or older.
Tubal Ligation Reversal is a Better Alternative to IVF Overall
For most women, tubal ligation reversal is better than IVF. Pregnancy success rates are higher and it is less expensive than IVF. Once fertility is restored after tubal surgery, pregnancy can occur naturally in any cycle without further treatment. Many couples may wish to have more than one child after their treatment. This is possible after tubal ligation reversal. With IVF, each attempt to become pregnant requires a new cycle of treatment, unless frozen embryos are available for subsequent uterine transfer.
Our Mission
Dr. Berger and Dr. Monteith offer a simple outpatient surgical procedure to repair blocked tubes or tied tubes that is not only more successful, but also less expensive, than IVF. This is the mission of the tubal reversal doctors and staff at A Personal Choice. It is the reason why women travel here from all over the world to have their fallopian tubes repaired.
