With rising rates of divorce and second marriages, the trend to postpone child-bearing to later years, and more effective surgical procedures, men as well as women are getting involved in fertility operations. More men are having their vasectomies reversed now than a quarter-century ago, experts say. Men seeking to reverse their vasectomies are still in the minority, however. To begin with, undoing a simple, 30-minute vasectomy costs many times more than getting one. And while many health insurers cover vasectomies, they rarely cover the surgery to undo them.
Doctors say that psychological issues complicate the matter as well.
Some men, they say, are ashamed for people to know they had a vasectomy in the first place. No one wants to publicly admit they have a problem. Unfortunately, that's one reason why many infertile couples agree to go through more expensive, complex infertility procedures, such as in vitro fertilization, to achieve pregnancy, Werthman contends. And some physicians may unnecessarily discourage men seeking to undo their vasectomies. Initially, many women seek the advice of gynecologists, who, Werthman contends, are usually more familiar with female infertility treatments and aren't aware of the success rates for reversing a vasectomy.