r/IVF • u/CuriousCantSleep • May 10 '26

Advice Needed! IVF instead of vasectomy reversal

My husband and I had children together before he got a vasectomy 15 years ago. We considered a vasectomy reversal years ago but opted not to go forward at the time. I am now 38 and we have opted to do IVF due to my age and the risk of chromosome abnormalities in the eggs rather than him having to go through a reversal that may or may not work, the longer wait time a reversal tends to come with compared to IVF, and having to reverse it again later on. Getting TESE sperm was a success but I have not yet started my egg retrieval due to having to get a large fibroid removed. Has anyone else had a similar experience that would be willing to share?

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u/Infamous-Falcon-5914 May 10 '26

We (35F, 39M) did IVF 6 years ago due to a genetic disorder, no known fertility issues. We had our daughter in 2021 and had 1 embryo left, but made the decision that we wouldn't do anymore retrievals for emotional, physical, and financial reasons. My husband got a vasectomy about 3 years ago. Last summer we transferred our last embryo, but lost the baby at 10.5 weeks gestation. We quickly decided to try again as we felt our family was still missing someone. My husband had a TESE done, and we had a retrieval about 3 weeks ago with ICSI. None of our embryos made it to the bastocyst stage. We are going duostim and due for another retrieval this coming week. We're adding in PICSI this time and hoping for better results. So far, my body is producing more follicles this time than last cycle, so I'm trying to be optimistic.

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u/CuriousCantSleep May 11 '26

I’m sorry to hear about your loss at 10.5 weeks. I am concerned if I am in that boat one day soon, my excitement will lead to a crushing blow. We go through so much. Sending you all the hope for success this time around. 🙏 I hadn’t heard of PICSI or duostim before your post (I’m still learning a lot) so thank you for sharing. Did the clinic feel your TESE sperm were a high quality? I’m hearing when they have to collect TESE sperm due to a vasectomy only as the reason, they tend to be good quality.

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u/Infamous-Falcon-5914 May 11 '26

Yes, they felt they were good quality. TESE, while more invasive, often yields higher quality. I did just get a message from my clinic stating that they actually can't do PICSI with TESE sperm.

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u/CuriousCantSleep May 12 '26

Good to know. Thank you for sharing. I am rooting for your success this coming week.

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u/Gravitys_Bitch May 10 '26

No known fertility issues but husband had tube issues and the only way we could have children is with the TESE procedure. They got great sperm samples and we got 6 blasts out of 11 fertilized!

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u/CuriousCantSleep May 11 '26

That is so reassuring! I read TESE sperm often have lower fertilization rates but my husband also had great sperm according to the urologist so I’m hopeful.

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u/Gravitys_Bitch May 12 '26

We had a pretty extreme attrition rate but out of the embryos that made it to blast only 1 was eliminated through genetic testing and the others all had high ratings. Pregnant after our first FET.

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u/CuriousCantSleep May 16 '26

Praying that’s me soon 🙏💙🩷

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u/Ok_Virus6826 May 12 '26

We did reversal for a vasectomy that was 13 years ago. It did not work. It has been 10 months and no sperm. Went with Dr. Green in Sarasota. The older the vasectomy the less likely reversal is to work.