Reversal vs. IVF?
Posted by Mike Malone | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on 02-07-2010-05-2008
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OK – so you’ve had the vasectomy and life didn’t turn out how you planned, and you now want to start a family with a new partner. What are the options and chances? This new study published November 2005 makes a comparison of cost effectiveness and results between assisted reproduction techniques and vasectomy reversal. Which is cheapest and which works best to produce offspring?
How assisted reproduction (ART) works is to take sperm from the epididymus, and use it in the IVF process.
The key findings of the study were:-
* Vasectomy reversal is as cost-effective as ART if bilateral vasovasostomy can be performed.
* If unilateral or bilateral vasoepididymostomy is required, ART may be more cost-effective due to lower patency rates.
* Vasectomy reversal is generally more cost-effective overall.
* A decision analysis based comparison of ART and classic surgical therapy suggests that varicocelectomy and vasectomy reversal are the most economical treatments in many cases of infertility due to these lesions. Tailoring the decision models to individual centers permits more accurate comparisons using specific costs as well as the surgical outcomes and results of ART.
The last paragraph doesn’t seem that explanatory. The study not only looked at effectiveness of various techniques to allow men with a vasectomy to produce biological offspring – it looked at men with infertility problems as well. What they are saying is that accurate diagnosis of the patient will help to decide which is the most cost effective treatment with the best chance of working for that patient.
Previous studies often conclude that reversal is the most cost effective treatment. This study is basically in agreement, but also saying that other factors need to be taken into account when making the decision on the best treatment for the individual.
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