Vasectomy Reversal in Indianapolis, Indiana

Patients who have previously received a vasectomy will occasionally change their minds later on for a wide variety of reasons. While a vasectomy is a permanent form of birth control, there is a procedure that can reverse its effects.

The fellowship-trained urologist Dr. Tatem at Urology of Indiana provides comprehensive vasectomy reversal consultations and procedures at our urology clinic in Indianapolis. If you are in need of a vasectomy reversal, contact our urology clinic at  (877) 362-2778 to learn about your treatment options and schedule your consultation today.

How Does a Vasectomy Work?

A vasectomy procedure involves the cutting of the vas deferens. These tubes are what allows the sperm to travel from a testicle into the semen. During a vasectomy reversal, the surgeon will reconnect the tubes of the vas deferens in order to restore its connection between the sperm and semen.

The restoration of the vas deferens can be accomplished in two different ways:

• Vasovasostomy: sewing the severed ends of the vas deferens back together
• Vasoepididymostomy: attaching the vas deferens directly to the epididymis, which is the organ that holds a man’s storage of sperm.

What Are the Risks of a Vasectomy Reversal?

A vasectomy reversal procedure is fairly minimal and is not associated with many side effects. Uncommon complications that can arise from a vasectomy reversal include:

• Persistent pain
• Infection
• Development of a hematoma within the scrotum

What is the Chance of Success for a Vasectomy Reversal?

A vasectomy reversal will not always be successful. Factors that influence the outcome of a vasectomy reversal are:

• Length of time since vasectomy procedure: the more time that has passed, the less likely the vasectomy reversal will be to work
• Your partner and their age
• Your age
• Prior surgeries near the affected area (hernia, prostate resection, etc.)

What Happens Post Vasectomy Reversal?

Once a time span of 6 to 8 weeks has passed after the vasectomy reversal, you will attend a follow-up appointment to provide a semen sample that your urologist will examine to determine whether or not the procedure was effective.

A Second Attempt

If your first attempt at a vasectomy reversal was unsuccessful, you can still try again. Sometimes, the surgery will prove ineffective due to a blockage that has formed within the vas deferens, or from other various complications.

Each surgeon will have their own vasectomy reversal success rate, which is why it is advised to seek care from an experienced surgeon who has performed several other successful vasectomy reversals.

Vasectomy Reversal Training

Dr. Tatem is one of the few urologists specializing in the treatment of Men’s Health and Male Infertility in the State of Indiana.

He is Board Certified and fellowship-trained having completed the prestigious in Male Reproductive and Sexual Medicine training program at the Baylor College of Medicine under the guidance of Dr. Larry Lipshultz. Dr. Tatem offers both VV (direct connection) as well as VE (indirect connection)

Ways to avoid getting scammed:

• Every doctor claims ‘high success’ and ‘solid training’. It is difficult to determine the real from the imposter.  Check qualifications and make sure the doctor is a MD, a Urologist, and is Board Certified.
• The need for an operative microscope.  This is ESSENTIAL for a vasectomy reversal. Ability to do an VE (indirect connection).  If the doctor does not do one, or claims it’s not necessary to know how to – then you are not getting the correct surgery and have a much higher chance of failure.
• Doctors who do not offer any fertility management beyond the surgery.  This is not because they are “specialty surgeons” who only do vasectomy reversals.  It is simply because they do no know what to do and cannot be bothered.
• Many claim cheaper costs since do they the procedure under local anesthesia.  They are simply unable to do our more sophisticated 4-layer closure and advanced VE.  Our procedures are conducted under general anesthesia (meaning you are asleep) because we cannot allow any patient movement when placing the micro-sutures.
• Dr. Tatem only performs one vasectomy reversal per day at most.
• The procedures are performed at an official, sanctioned and licensed surgery center with actual anesthesiologists and nurses taking care of you.  There is no ‘office based’ approach and partners are not allowed in the back to be with their husbands during surgery.  We consider these to be real surgeries and thus limit the distractions.
• Do not confuse surgeon excellence with fast surgery times.  The average vasectomy reversal for a specialist will take anywhere from 2-3 hours.  Not because they can’t do it any faster, but because they exert more care and do not cut corners. Dr. Tatem only performs one per day at most.  There are some non-urologists that perform multiple surgeries in a day and perform the surgery in less than 1 hour.  Something has to ‘give’ and that is usually the quality of the surgery