Tubal Reversal Blog ‘age’

If you have had your tubes tied and would like to become pregnant again, tubal reversal surgery is probably the best option for you. Tubal ligation reversal is the most successful and cost-effective way to become pregnant for 98% of women who have had a tubal ligation and now want to have another baby.

What Is Your Age?

The natural fertility rate declines with age. Pregnancy rates after tubal reversal, therefore, are highest for younger women.  Although pregnancy rates are lower for older women, you can still become pregnant after age 40 if you are ovulating and have periods.

Dr. Berger has kept detailed records of his patients and has compiled a comprehensive follow-up study on pregnancy after tubal reversal for all of his patients. His patients under 30 have a 77% pregnancy rate after having a tubal reversal procedure. The pregnancy rate is 72% for women ages 30-34 , 62% for women 35-39, and 34% for those 40 years of age and older after tubal reversal surgery performed by Dr. Berger.

What Type of Tubal Ligation Did You Have?

There are several ways that a doctor can tie a woman’s fallopian tubes. Women with the ring or clip method of tubal ligation have a 74% pregnancy rate after undergoing tubal reversal surgery. Women with the tubal coagulation technique have a 65% pregnancy rate, while women with tubal ligation and resection methods have a 62% probability for pregnancy after reversal surgery.

If you aren’t sure what type of tubal ligation you had, don’t worry! You can get a copy of your operative and pathology reports relating to your tubal ligation, and fax them to Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center at (919) 967-8637. Please attach the Fax Cover Sheet so we can reach you when your records arrive. Dr. Berger will review the operative report at no charge and we will contact you regarding possible outcomes for you following reversal surgery.

How To Choose The Best Tubal Reversal Doctor?

The most important question to ask is how many tubal reversal surgeries the doctor has performed. The more experience the doctor has, the better your outcome will be. Dr. Berger has the most experience with this operative procedure of any reproductive surgeon in the world and has performed more than 6,000 tubal reversals! He is considered by other medical professionals in the US and abroad to be the best tubal reversal doctor.

Also ask if the doctor performs tubal reversals on an outpatient basis. Outpatient tubal reversal reduces cost and avoids the risks of hospitalization, such as infection with hospital-acquired bacteria. Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center is the only center worldwide that is dedicated exclusively to outpatient tubal ligation reversal, and Dr. Berger is the only doctor who specializes in and limits his practice to outpatient tubal reversal surgery.

I Will Be Happy To Assist You

If you would like additional information or would like to schedule your tubal reversal procedure, please feel free to contact me. You can reach me from 8 am to 8 pm Eastern Time at (919) 656-8204 or by e-mail at JuliaS@tubal-reversal.net. I will be glad to answer any questions you might have!

Submitted by Julia Smith, RN
Nurse Administrator

Tubal Ligation by Falope Ring and Hulka Clip

The Falope ring and Hulka clip are occlusive methods of tubal ligation. They block the fallopian tubes, but no tubal segments are clamped, removed, or burned. The Falope ring is also referred to as the tubal ring or tubal band. It constricts a segment of the fallopian tube very tightly, like an extra strong rubber band.

The Hulka clip is a miniature clamp placed across a very small (2-3 mm) segment of the fallopian tube. Another clip method besides the Hulka clip is the Filshie clip. The clips are similar except that the Hulka clip is made out of silastic and the Filshie clip is made out of metal. Occlusive methods of tubal ligation are predictably the best in terms of reversal since they damage such a tiny segment of the fallopian tube.

In contrast to the Pomeroy method, these occlusive devices are applied through a laparoscope. (Laparoscopy involves making a small incision below the belly button.) Many doctors prefer to apply tubal rings or clips when performing a tubal ligation on young women in recognition of the greater likelihood that a tubal reversal may be wanted in the future. Studies have shown that tubal ligation regret and the desire for tubal ligation reversal is more common when a tubal sterilization is performed among women in the twenties than among older women.

Tubal Clip and Ring Reversal Success

Each year Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center publishes current statistics about pregnancy rates and pregnancy outcomes among all of the women who have had tubal reversal procedures performed by Dr. Berger. The data for women who had tubal rings or clips shown in the table below is from our Tubal Reversal Pregnancy Study Report 2007.

Pregnancy Rates of Our Tubal Reversal Patients

The overall pregnancy rate after tubal reversal for women with clips or rings is 76% for patients at Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center. In the table below, the first column shows ages groups. The second column shows the number of women in each age group who had a tubal reversal. The third column shows the number of women in that group who became pregnant and the last column shows the percentage of women who became pregnant (the pregnancy rate) after their reversal procedures.

Pregnancy Rates After Tubal Reversal of Clips/Rings

Highest Pregnancy Rates After Tubal Reversal

The highest tubal reversal pregnancy rates are seen among women who have reversal of tubal clips or tubal rings. For women in their twenties, the pregnancy rate was 87%. The pregnancy rate ranged from 83% to 73% for women in their thirties. Among women age 40 or older, the pregnancy rate was significantly lower (47%), reflecting the decline in natural fertility with age. These pregnancy rates among our tubal reversal patients are similar to the pregnancy rates for women who have never had a tubal ligation to begin with.

People often wonder “If I do get the tubal reversal procedure done, what are the chances I’ll conceive?”

Dr. Berger is the only doctor who tracks his specific success rate - others doctors will just quote what has been published elsewhere or what they think the success rate should be. Dr. Berger has taken the time and the expense to meticulously keep track of his patients’ pregnancies needed to determine the success rate of the tubal reversal procedures he has performed.

Success Rates

One way to estimate your probability of success after a tubal reversal procedure is from the operative report from your tubal ligation. This can be obtained from the doctor who performed the surgery or from the medical records department of the hospital where your procedure was performed.

If you would like to forward this information to us, Dr. Berger will review the operative report at no charge and we can contact you regarding possible outcomes for you following reversal surgery. You may fax the records to us at 870-934-9211. Please include all contact information (phone and e-mail) when faxing your records.

If you have questions about your chances to get pregnant after a tubal reversal, please feel free to contact me.

Julia Smith, RN
Nurse Administrator
Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center
Phone: (919) 656-8204
Fax: 870-934-9211