It can be a surprise to some how different the cost of a vasectomy is from its reversal, sometimes costing 10 times as much to reverse the initial procedure, making the vasectomy itself something to not enter into lightly (not that anyone ever would). But, what exactly makes up the cost of a vasectomy? And if you fork over the dough for the procedure, does it actually work?
Identification
Though a vasectomy is a rather inexpensive procedure, generally running anywhere from $500 to upwards of $1,000, its reversal can take quite a blow to the wallet. Since this type of surgery is considered elective and rarely covered under insurance, you'll typically find yourself paying out of pocket as little as $4,000 to as much as $15,000. Of course, the fairly wide variance in price tag for the procedure is dictated almost solely by geographic location. On average, an American male will pay approximately $10,000 for a vasectomy reversal.
Features
Surprisingly, it isn't just your surgeon's fee, so to speak, that demand the majority of this vasectomy reversal's ticket. A few other pricey expenditures make up the other 2/3 of the cost: the anesthetics, the operating equipment, the operating room, any lab work and the hospital room used for recovery (though most procedures are done on an out-patient basis). To give you an idea of costs, let's look at a couple specific locales around the country. In Minnesota, you'll typically find your bill made up of about $3,000 in surgical fees and $4,000 in facility fees. In California, you'll find your bill made up of about $4,000 in surgical fees and $3,500 in facility fees.
Function
Basically, a vasectomy reversal is a procedure that restores the flow of sperm either by reconnecting the original passage of the vas deferens through a vasovasostomy, or by connecting the vas deferens directly to the epididymis through a vasoepididymostomy. Ideally, you'd want the first of the two procedures, as it is considered standard. But, if there is a blockage in the van deferens, the second procedure will bypass this problem and allow the sperm to flow freely.
Effects
The overall success rate of a vasectomy reversal is rather high, generally coming in at 98 to 99 percent restoration of sperm flow through vasovasostomy. Of these successful reversals, 65 to 75 percent of these men reported a successful pregnancy after the procedure. For the vasoepididymostomy, the success rate is a bit lower and much more divergent in its success, another reason the first procedure is much more preferred. Essentially, if you go through a vasoepididymostomy, you'll have anywhere from a 64 to 90 percent chance of success with the procedure, meaning a full restoration of sperm flow. Of these successful reversals, 40 to 60 percent of these men reported a successful pregnancy after the procedure.
Time Frame
Another factor also weighs quite heavily in with the potential success (or failure) of either vasovasostomy or vasoepididymostomy--the time between the initial surgery and its reversal. But, the impact hits most profoundly on the success of pregnancy. Less than 3 years between the two surgeries will see the highest success rate at 75 percent for the first procedure (vasovasostomy) and 60 percent for the second (vasoepididymostomy). Three to 8 years between the two surgeries will find a dip to around 53 percent for the first procedure, and around 46 percent for the second. Over 15 years between surgeries will see less than 30 percent success in pregnancy.
Tags: between surgeries, between surgeries will, first procedure, sperm flow, success rate