Pregnancy After Vasectomy? How Is It Possible?

A pregnancy after vasectomy may seem impossible, but it has been known to happen in a few rare cases. It could be because of planned or unplanned methods that brought about the pregnancy but mostly, the main reason why an unplanned pregnancy occurs is because of the failure to use a birth control method during the initial period after surgery.

After a vasectomy, semen may not be completely free of sperm and needs to be tested first before you can engage in unprotected sexual intercourse. Viable sperm can actually remain in your body up to six months after the operation and bring about pregnancy after going through a vasectomy.

In more uncommon instances, an unplanned pregnancy after a vasectomy can happen because of a failure in the operation. The vas deferens tubes can actually grow back together in about one in two thousand cases of vasectomies. Although an incision was made in the vas deferens, a recanalization becomes possible when a new pathway for sperm to pass grows and pregnancy after vasectomy can now take place.

Numerous studies have shown that a small percentage of women do get pregnant because of the two main reasons outlined above. But an unwanted pregnancy after a vasectomy can still be prevented through regular follow-up appointments that your doctor schedules for you.

The period of three to six months after the vasectomy is critical, but you will still need to go at least once a year to ensure that your health is not compromised by the operation. Residual or new sperm can still exist after the operation, allowing pregnancy after vasectomy to come about but very few patients are conscientious about their appointments with their urologist.

Wanting a Pregnancy After Vasectomy

However, if pregnancy after vasectomy is something that you WANT to happen, you can discuss sperm retrieval with your doctor. The sperm taken from you before the vasectomy can be frozen and stored for use at a later date. When you and your partner decide that you want to have children, then a pregnancy after going through a vasectomy can still occur through in vitro fertilization. An egg will then be taken from your partner and the sperm will be injected so that fertilization can occur and result in a pregnancy.

Another option would be to undergo a vasectomy reversal. The chances of pregnancy after a vasectomy reversal go from about 40 to 70 percent. However, you will still need to wait anywhere from 12 to 24 months before a pregnancy can occur since it takes awhile for the sperm to start flowing through the vas tubes again. It is also an expensive procedure that is not covered by most health insurance plans so some people opt to go with the other methods.