I had my tubes cut, tied and burned. Can I still have a tubal reversal?
I had my tubes tied in 2009 through my belly button and a small incision above my pubic area. I was suppose to have clamps, but one of my tubes needed to be burned due to complications. The doctor told me that she could not get to my fallopian tube and that is why she choose to burn it. I never went for the 6 week follow-up to have the dye injected (I was in an abusive relationship at that time), so I am unsure how successful the procedure was. Can I still have a tubal reversal?
Answers from doctors (2)
Thank you for your excellent question! Whether or not you're a candidate for a tubal reversal will depend on several things. First, is your age. I generally do not this procedure for women older than 38. It's not that they are too old to be pregnant, but rather a matter of egg quality and time to conception. That group of women should be considering IVF instead.
Second, is the type of tubal ligation procedure. Your doctor should have dictated an operation report, and that should tell us how much of your tube was burned. The success of a reversal operation depends on how much of the tube is left.
I'm also concerned that your doctor "couldn't get to" one of your tubes. That might mean that you have some adhesions/scarring in your pelvis, and that would decrease your odds for success with the reversal.
Lastly, we can't forget the importance of the male side of things. If you have a new partner, and especially if he has never fathered a child, it is very important that he has a semen analysis before you have surgery. If his count is not good, that also could reduce your odds for success and, in some cases, is an indication for IVF. I would recommend this test even if your partner has children.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
You could certainly be a candidate for a tubal reversal! Tubal reversal success is dependent on the amount of tube that remains following the tubal ligation, regardless of whether the tubes were cauterized or clamped. It is important to bring a pathology report to your physician for him to review prior to having/scheduling a tubal reversal. It is also important to have some baseline ultrasound and labs prior to the procedure to assure you still have a reasonable chance of achieving pregnancy on your own.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
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