The most common situation is that a man has had children, had a vasectomy in his 40s and then the relationship has broken down. "He finds a new partner in her late 20s or early 30s who hasn't had a child. In some cases, a new couple have both had children before, but want a family together.
"It is fraught with emotion," explains consultant urologist Duncan Harriss, whose clinic in Nottingham carries out 250 reversals a year. A decade ago, they did just one a month.
"But it is incredibly powerful and it brings the couple together," he adds. "It's something they are doing on their own and often secretively because they don't want the children or former partners to find out. When you see them for the first time, you can see that togetherness.
With so many men apparently changing their minds, what prompts them to opt for a vasectomy in the first place? Dr Harriss says one reason is simply that it is more accessible in the UK than elsewhere. A vasectomy is a simple operation that takes 20 minutes under local anaesthetic. Unlike reversal, it is usually available on the NHS
Duncan Harriss, a consultant urologist who runs a specialist vasectomy reversal clinic at Nottingham's private BMI Park Hospital, said he was performing 150 operations a year compared with 10 to 15 a decade ago.
All the information on this site does not replace the personal information that can be obtained through direct doctor/patient contact but is to help you find information about vasectomy reversals and possible outcomes.
