Many women choose to undergo a tubal ligation procedure at a certain time in their lives. The procedure is meant to prevent pregnancy by means of tying, sealing or attaching a clip to the fallopian tubes. This prevents fertilization because it stops the egg from reaching the uterus. Although it was meant to be a permanent procedure, nowadays it can be reversed. If a woman decides to have children again after having suffered a tubal ligation she has the option of having a tubal ligation reversal procedure. The Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center is dedicated to helping women have normal pregnancies once more. Pregnancy rates after tubal reversal at the Chapel Hill center are extremely high, surpassing even the in-vitro fertilization pregnancy rates.



There are many reasons why women decide to have a tubal ligation reversal at a certain point in their lives. The most common reason is the desire of having children. However, sometimes a woman will decide to have the procedure because of the so-called post tubal ligation syndrome. The symptoms of this syndrome include painful periods, early menopause symptoms, loss of libido, vaginal dryness, severe premenstrual syndrome, anxiety, sleeping disorders and mood swings. No matter what the reason, a tubal ligation reversal can be of very much help. The surgical procedure consists in rejoining, unclamping or removing anything that is blocking the fallopian tubes. Because of the advances in microsurgery, the procedure can take less than one hour on an outpatient basis. Furthermore, local anesthesia is usually sufficient for the reversal procedure and therefore reduces the post surgery discomfort.

Probably the most extensive and accurate existent study on tubal reversal success rates is the one developed by Dr. Gary Berger at the Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center. The study included more than 3000 women who have been patients at the Chapel Hill Center. The conclusion of this comprehensive study is that pregnancy rates after tubal reversal surgery are even better than in-vitro fertilization (IVF) pregnancy rates. The pregnancy rates after tubal reversal were compared with the latest national IVF statistics and were substantially higher than any IVF results. Another important advantage to the tubal ligation reversal performed by Dr. Berger is that it has less than half of the costs of a standard IVF cycle.

Dr. Berger's study reveals that pregnancy rates after tubal reversal vary according to different factors. The first factor that influences the pregnancy rates is age. Younger women have better pregnancy rates than older women. Women aged 30 and less have a success rate of around 82%. Older women, of 40 years and more, have a pregnancy rate of 41%. The tubal ligation method is another factor which influences the pregnancy rates. The highest pregnancy rates have been encountered in reversals of tubal ring or clip procedures (76%) while patients with fimbriectomy or unknown methods had the lowest rates (56%). Women who have had resection or coagulation procedures fall into the intermediary category, with overall rates of 68-69%. Fallopian tube length is also capable of swaying the pregnancy rates. The longer the remaining tube length, the better the pregnancy rates. Women with fallopian tubes of more than 7.5 cm have a success rate of 80%. 38% of women with very short fallopian tubes, of less than 2.5 cm, became pregnant. The Tubal Reversal Pregnancy Study performed at the Chapel Hill Center by Dr. Berger is the most comprehensive study on the subject available at this time.

A tubal ligation can be a solution for women who want to effectively control their ability to have children. However, women who have the procedure often want to have it reversed at a certain point, because of various reasons. A tubal ligation reversal is a microsurgical procedure which restores the ability to have children. The Tubal Reversal Pregnancy Study performed by Dr. Berger shows that pregnancy rates after tubal reversal are even higher than IVF pregnancy rates.