Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority (n.d.). Infertility surgery for men.
Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority. Infertility surgery for men. Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority; [date unknown].
Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority. Infertility surgery for men. n.d.
For EndNote, Zotero or Mendeley:
License
Open-access status not yet checked.
RRM Academy Synopsis
Vasectomy reversal works in about 60 to 80% of cases, HFEA says
A UK fertility regulator's information page on male infertility surgery reports that a vasectomy reversal succeeds in about 60 to 80% of cases among men who had one. The page also outlines sperm retrieval and varicocele treatment. The regulator does not oversee these operations.
Key Findings
Reversal succeeds in about 60 to 80% of cases, and the couple can then conceive through intercourse when no other fertility problem is present.
Surgery may be suggested when semen analysis finds no sperm, when sperm production is impaired, or when a blockage cannot be overcome.
Surgical sperm retrieval (SSR) removes sperm directly from the testicles for men whose blockage cannot be repaired or whose testicles make sperm abnormally.
A very large varicocele with very poor sperm count or quality may be treated by blocking the veins (embolization) or tying them off (ligation).
Interpretation
The HFEA page is an informational summary. The 60 to 80% range appears as a single summary statement for men who have had a vasectomy. The page lists cost, the partner's age, family size goals and years since the vasectomy as factors in choosing reversal. The page adds that the benefit of surgery varies between men.
RRM Context
Restorative reproductive medicine evaluates the man alongside the woman. It looks for the cause of low or absent sperm. The page treats blockage, impaired sperm production and varicocele as separate problems with separate surgical answers. A successful reversal allows conception through intercourse, which matches the restorative aim of repairing function.
Our editorial summary of this paper, not the article's abstract.
Abstract
A Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority information page describes surgery for men who do not produce sperm naturally or who have a blockage preventing sperm from coming out, including men with fertility issues following chemotherapy and men who want to reverse a vasectomy. The page lists circumstances in which a clinic may recommend surgery and describes surgical sperm extraction or retrieval (SSR), including PESA, TESA, TESE and MicroTESE, for men with no sperm in the ejaculate. The page states that a vasectomy can be reversed in around 60 to 80% of cases and lists factors that may affect the decision, including the time since the vasectomy, the partner's age, the number of children wanted and the costs involved. The page also describes treatment of varicocele by embolization or ligation and states that the Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority does not regulate surgical treatments.
