Burned tubes can be reversed and pregnancy is very possible after reversal of burned tubes.
Tubal coagulation, or burning tubes, is a common method of tubal ligation in the United States. Most people think of this as a very destructive form of sterilization that can not be reversed because of extensive damage to the fallopian tubes. Although burning tubes can be very damaging, most women with burned tubes will have fallopian tubes that can be repaired at A Personal Choice.
As evidence of this, I would like to share the personal story of my wife’s friend, Maxine, who had her burned tubes reversed.
Burned tube reversal: A small world
Several years ago I made the decision to begin training with Dr. Berger in the surgical specialty of microsurgical tubal anastomosis. One day after my training I went to the gym and my wife’s friend, Maxine, asked me how my work at the university as an ob/gyn was going. I informed her I was leaving my university job to pursue a career as a tubal reversal specialist at the A Personal Choice.
Before the words “tubal reversal” could leave my lips, Maxine began to tell me about her tubal ligation reversal performed by Dr. Berger. The coincidence of Maxine having had a tubal reversal and having had her surgery at the reversal center where I was beginning a new career was remarkable because tubal reversal surgery is not a common surgical experience.
As she told me about having her tubes burned and then reversed, I was amazed at how small a world it is in which we live and how many of us share interconnected paths and experiences.
Can burned tubes be repaired? Maxine’s story
Maxine first learned burned tubes could be reversed after she watched a broadcast about Dr. Berger and tubal reversal surgery on the Discovery Learning Channel. Maxine lives in North Carolina and it was easy for her to make an appointment with him to discuss the possibilities of tubal reversal. Maxine had one previous child, had been divorced, and had her tubes burned with a bipolar tubal coagulation procedure. In the fall of 1997, she discussed both IVF and tubal ligation reversal with Dr. Berger. She and her second husband, Robby, decided reversal surgery was a better option for them.
Maxine had a successful outpatient operation to reverse her burned tubes in 1997. Her tubal lengths were each 6.5 cm and her procedure lasted about one hour.
Is pregnancy possible with burned tubes?
Pregnancy is very possible after tubes are burned. Maxine quickly became pregnant after her ligation reversal surgery. In fact, Maxine became pregnant a total of eight times after her reversal surgery!
The first three pregnancies were abnormal pregnancies and were treated with methotrexate medication. After these first three pregnancies, Maxine had her first child, Samantha, in 2001. Her second child, Max, was born shortly thereafter. Maxine experienced a miscarriage and then had her last child, Alex, at the age of 40.
I began working with Dr. Berger in the summer of 2008. Around this time we began to add video stories of patients who had tubal ligation reversals and were willing to share their experiences with others.
We looked for reversal patients who were local and could come to A Personal Choice to record videos about their reversal experience. As soon as we started our reversal video project, I ran into Maxine and her family at our local community pool.
I (Dr. Monteith) am pictured with her and her family in the photo located above. In another coincidental crossing of paths, I asked Maxine if she would be willing to share her story and she agreed. Her video can be seen at the bottom of this article.
Burned tube reversal: Maxine’s personal story
Maxine arrived at the Tubal Reversal Center eleven years after her reversal for a video taping of her story about having her burned tubes reversed.
During her reunion meeting with Dr. Berger, she talked about her reasons for having her tubes repaired and the unpredictability of life. She described arriving at the reversal center and wondering if reversal surgery was really the best choice for her, the ease of having her burned tubes reversed, and having several abnormal pregnancies over four years and before having a successful pregnancy. Maxine experienced the uncertainty and frustration that many tubal reversal patients experience while trying to become pregnant. Eventually her determination and persistence paid off and she now has three lovely children to show for her efforts.
Readers searching for a personal testament to the success of reversal of burned tubes should view Maxine’s reunion video with Dr. Berger below. Comments left on this blog article are appreciated.
