Chances of Conceiving After Tubal Ligation Reversal Surgery

Tubal reversal is becoming popular amongst women who want to get their tubes untied after tubal ligation so that they can naturally conceive children again.

However, many factors need to be considered by a woman before she decides to have tubal reversal surgery. The biggest question that my patients have is how quickly will they get pregnant. This is a difficult question to answer, as many factors contribute to a woman's chance of conceiving after tubal ligation reversal. Because there are so many determinants in a woman's time-to-conception, it is impossible to know if a ligation reversal will result in conception or how soon a woman will get pregnant after surgery. Some women, for example, become pregnant quite quickly after the surgery, while others may take years or not conceive at all.

Age largely affects the chance of conception after tubal ligation reversal. The younger you are, the better your chances of getting pregnant after a tubal reversal. Patients over 40 years of age may have problems conceiving. In a study published in 2011, the rates of pregnancy after reversal surgery were an impressive 90% for women less than 40 years of age, and 53% for those aged 40 years and over. While age is a factor in conception regardless if the patient has had a tubal ligation or not, it is important for a woman take this into consideration when making her decision.

After age, the second most significant factor in conception is how the prior physician performed the patient's tubal ligation surgery. There are various types of tubal ligation surgeries. Each procedure requires a different amount of the fallopian tube to complete the ligation, which affects the remaining tubal length for the reversal surgeon to restore. The longer the remaining tubal lengths, the higher the chance of conceiving after a tubal reversal. Ligation's performed using the Hulka or Filshie clips have the highest conception rate (70%) once reversed, while ligation's performed via the coagulation method have the lowest conception rate (43%).

Another factor in conception after tubal reversal surgery is the length of time between a patient's ligation and their reversal surgery. For example, if the patient has had their ligation within the past 5 years, their chances of conceiving after reversal are much higher than those patients who had their ligation 15 years ago.

The above are just a few factors that should be considered before getting your tubes untied with a tubal reversal surgery.