At Caperton Fertility Institute (CFI), we want you to know that we deeply understand the pain and suffering that men go through when the process of getting pregnant with their partner is unsuccessful. While there can be several causes, let’s look at one of the common reasons that a man is not fertile– a previous vasectomy.
A man who’s had a vasectomy may appear to be the easiest patient who is experiencing male infertility issues to treat, but that’s not always the case. If you look at the science of vasectomy reversal, you’ll find that very little has changed in the last several decades; there has essentially been no improvement in the success rate for vasectomy reversal. The Mayo Clinic suggests it could be as low as 30 percent; other studies show a delay of up to 12 months for sperm to return to the ejaculate.
Conversely, during that time, the live birth rate for in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) have improved every year, by approximately one percent annually, since IVF began 40 years ago. The kind of advancement seen with IVF is unparalleled in medicine and is a great testament to the people working steadfastly to improve laboratory design, laboratory conditions, cell culture environments, and the preparation and types of stimulation used in patients.
Men who have had a vasectomy have several options:
1) Vasectomy reversal, a surgical procedure
2) Sperm retrieval from the testicle or gonad, a trans-cutaneous (meaning “through the skin”) technique provided at CFI clinics versus an “open” (scalpel) technique still used by some fertility clinics, or used when an extensive evaluation of the tubules of the testicle may have small nests of sperm production that can be identified after exhausting other options.
3) Donor sperm insemination
Sperm retrieval is a minimally invasive technique performed in the Caperton Fertility offices in Albuquerque, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas under light sedation. Sperm retrieval includes PESA (percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration), TESE (testicular sperm extraction), NAB (needle aspiration biopsy), and Tru-cut™ (a type of biopsy using a tissue-cutting needle) techniques, all of which are percutaneous procedures, not requiring inner tissue or organs to be exposed, and that can be completed under light sedation in the office without the need for general anesthesia.
If our Caperton Fertility Institute fertility specialists find a man is not a candidate for these percutaneous fertility procedures, a more invasive procedure requiring an open technique may be recommended, done in partnership with urologic consultants.
Following sperm retrieval, the sperm is cryopreserved (frozen) by our expert embryology and andrology staff, then stored in a highly securitized laboratory environment at the Caperton Fertility Institute. Sperm retrieved from the gonad can only be used for in vitro fertilization; unfortunately, there is not enough sperm retrieved to do an intrauterine insemination procedure.
To discuss male or female infertility and your specific concerns, please schedule a consultation at one of our New Mexico or Texas fertility clinics. Caperton Fertility Institute’s fertility doctor is ranked among the top 3% of physicians nationally and is dedicated to helping couples trying to get pregnant.