Thursday, September 25, 2008

IVF vs. Tubal Reversal - How to Decide

By Sandra Wilson


Many women who have had a tubal ligation have been told it is a permanent form of birth control. When they change their minds about wanting another child, their doctors usually counsel having an in vitro fertilization or IVF. What these women usually don't know is that tying their tubes can be reversed with an operation. So you are left wanting to know about IVF vs. tubal reversal and which is best.

When you have a tubal reversal you are having surgery. It can be an outpatient procedure if you choose the right surgeon. It's best to check around and be sure to get the right tubal reversal doctor. During the surgery, your surgeon will repair your fallopian tubes where the original obstruction, in whatever form, was made. Some are cut and some are clipped. Some are burned and some are ringed, so to speak. But the preparation is minimal before surgery and mainly consists of a review by your surgeon of your operation's records and being sure you are of the proper body mass to safely undergo a surgery.

With an IVF, however, there is a course of drugs given to you. You will receive both intramuscular and subcutaneous shots. Some stimulate and some prevent premature ovulation. Most of them will be taken over the course of a few days which means it's not just a one time shot and you're done. Ouch! And that's just the beginning preparation.

Next will be the removal of your eggs. Of course, the doctor will need to be sure of the right time to do so and will do this by monitoring to be sure to catch the eggs at the right time. Your system has been stimulated to produce many more eggs than normal. You will get another shot before ovulation is due. Then, when all is ready, the doctor will use a needle to remove the egg. Ouch again!

Once the eggs are withdrawn from your body, they will be fertilized and left to develop for some time in the lab after they reach the correct maturity. One reason they overstimulated your body to produce more eggs is so more than one can be put back into your body after fertilization. You will most likely get two or three. The rest will generally be frozen and can be used if this cycle does not produce a viable pregnancy. Oh, yes, and you get more injections.

This is when you hold your breath hoping everything will go OK. Of course,this will depend upon things like how skilled your doctor is and how careful he was in implanting the embryos among other things. If it doesn't work there are always those embryos you had frozen, if you did. And you get to go through all the shots and preparing your body again. Some of those may not happen if you do choose frozen over another fresh cycle. All this hyper stimulation and such could have some adverse affects on both you and your child, if successful. Be sure to check out the Internet and learn about the potential risks of IVF.

So what are your chances of a success on any one cycle of IVF? The figures vary depending upon such things as how many eggs were implanted, but the most common figures seem to be a 10% to 30% chance of pregnancy.

Now compare all that and all the things left out of this article due to space limitations and you will see that having a tubal reversal could be a much better option. The success rates for tubal reversal can vary depending upon your chosen surgeon. This makes choosing the best tubal reversal doctor and center a matter of utmost importance. At the Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center where they publish their specific pregnancy rates after a tubal reversal, you will see that it is an overall 69%. Your potential success rate will depend upon several things including your age, tube length left and type of ligation procedure used. The good news is that once the surgery is done, you get to try over and over again to "make a baby" without having to pay any more money.

And that's the last thing to cover. One session, or cycle, of IVF will cost on average $10,000 to $12,000 with most patients being told to expect to undergo at least three cycles. That's like $30,000 or more. Some doctors charge even more. Now compare that to the average cost of a tubal reversal which is $8,000 to $9,000 in the U.S. So what do you think about IVF vs. tubal reversal now? Which choice will be the best for you?

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