Tubal Reversal
Tubal reversal is one of the more common means of birth control used in the United States. Unfortunately, this permanent form of contraception will not allow you to change your mind and attempt pregnancy unless you undergo another surgical procedure. This operation is known as a reversal of tubal sterilization. The surgery is considerably more involved that the operation performed for the sterilization where as the sterilization involved simply tying, clipping, banding, or burning of the fallopian tubes. This procedure employs the use of very think microsuture to carefully put the tubes back together. In many respects, the operation is very similar to the delicate repair of small blood vessels and/or nerves that plastic surgeons perform in cases of hand injury. It is necessary to use an operating microscope or another magnifying source to adequately visualize the tubal anatomy. This makes for a tedious surgery that may take from 1-2 hours to perform. Tubal sterilization is frequently performed through the laparoscope or small incision. Because the surgery takes so little time, 15-30 minutes, is a day surgery. Reversal of tubal sterilization can also be performed through a small incision. However, due to the length of operating time, patients usually need to spend 1-2 days in the hospital to recover.
