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DR. GHASSAN HADDAD: Not uncommonly, females that have had their tubes tied thinking that they have completed their childbearing decide they want to get pregnant again. Such patients have several options, one of which is tubal reversal surgery.

Tubal reversal surgery typically involves a small incision in the bikini line about 2½ to 3 inches, and what we use for this surgery is an operating microscope where we put the tubes back together. We always test them to see if the tubes are functional by injecting dye and making sure that it goes through from one side of the tube to the other side. This surgery is typically performed either as an outpatient basis where the patient can go home that same day or the patient could stay for an overnight stay at the hospital just for observation. The patients recover pretty rapidly from this surgery.

The success rates from tubal reversal surgery are pretty good and they range from 60 to 80 percent, and they depend on how the tubes were tied. Certain methods of tying the tubes have lower success rates, and other methods of tying the tubes have higher success rates when the tubes are reversed. Therefore, we always obtain an op note from the initial surgery and we look at it and we discuss it with the patient. We counsel them before we do the surgery.