Tubal Reversal Pregnancy Rates and Outcomes
Tubal ligation - usually considered a permanent method of birth
control - can be successfully reversed through one hour
outpatient surgery. A recent large prospective study shows that
most women become pregnant and have more children after tubal
reversal.
The study involved 2692 women who underwent tubal reversal
surgery at Chapel Hill
Tubal Reversal Center from 2001 through 2004. The tubal
reversal operations were performed by Dr. Gary Berger, the
Center's Medical Director.
During the first year after tubal reversal surgery, 1,783 (65%)
of the 2,692 women had reported pregnancies. The pregnancy rate after tubal reversal surgery ranged
from 77% for women under 30 to 34% for women over 40 years of
age and older. Women with longer tubal lengths had higher
pregnancy rates than women with shorter tubes following tubal
reversal. Women with tubal lengths 7.5 cm or longer had a
pregnancy rate of 77%. Long tubes were also associated with
better pregnancy
outcomes than short tubes. Among women with average
fallopian tube lengths measuring 7.5 cm or longer, 59% gave
birth or had an ongoing pregnancy.
According to Dr.
Berger, this study is significant in being the largest and
most complete source of information about tubal reversal surgery
that is currently available. He noted that information about
tubal reversal surgery often lacks supporting documentation -
such as a description of the patient population, study method,
and follow-up interval. While a doctor may say that his patients
have a particular success rate, documenting the claim with
actual data involves considerable effort. Performing a follow-up
study such as this one requires keeping an accurate record of
patients and their findings, as well as maintaining ongoing
patient contact to determine the outcomes of treatment. That is
the only way a doctor can actually know what the pregnancy and
outcome statistics are for his patients.
It is unusual for a doctor, hospital, or clinic that to maintain
ongoing patient follow-up after surgery. At Chapel Hill Tubal
Reversal Center, nurses enter information into an electronic
patient database at patient registration, the surgical
procedure, and from follow-up contacts at 6 and 12 months after
surgery, in addition to regular post-operative communications
with staff.