Mike, a Thai national, had eight children with his former wife before undergoing a vasectomy. Two years ago, he remarried Kieu, 29, and the couple sought assistance at Tam Anh General Hospital Ho Chi Minh City, hoping to reverse his vasectomy to have a child.

Doctor Tran Ngoc Van Anh, from the Fertility Support Center at Tam Anh General Hospital Ho Chi Minh City, noted that vasectomy reversal is most successful within five years. After 15 years, success rates drop to 70-80%, often due to anti-sperm antibodies or fibrosis. Mike's 20-year vasectomy, age, and naturally reduced sperm quality and quantity affected embryo development. His history of bilateral inguinal hernia repair and current immunosuppressant use also made reversal surgery less optimal.

Following such surgery, patients typically wait 6-12 months to assess if sperm reappears in their semen.

Although Mike's vas deferens were blocked, his testes still produced sperm. Doctor Duong Quang Huy, Head of the Andrology Unit, recommended percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration (PESA) for in vitro fertilization (IVF) to help the couple conceive sooner. Doctors used a small needle to directly aspirate sperm from the epididymis, located anterior to the blockage. This procedure is less invasive than open surgery. The collected sample was then transferred to the lab.

Doctor Huy (left) performs percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration for the patient. Photo: Tam Anh General Hospital

Doctor Huy (left) performs percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration for the patient. Photo: Tam Anh General Hospital

Under a microscope magnified 40 times, embryologists collected sufficient sperm to fertilize 10-15 egg follicles from Kieu. The culture resulted in 8 day 5 embryos.

Doctor Van Anh selected the best quality embryo, which was then transferred to Kieu's uterus and implanted successfully. The pregnancy is now 12 weeks.

An embryologist searches for sperm under a microscope magnified 40 times. Photo: Tam Anh General Hospital

An embryologist searches for sperm under a microscope magnified 40 times. Photo: Tam Anh General Hospital

Vasectomy is a male sterilization method that prevents sperm from traveling through the vas deferens. However, it does not completely eliminate a man's ability to produce sperm.

Doctor Huy advises men to carefully consider this procedure. If planning to have children many years after a vasectomy, patients should undergo an examination to assess the condition of their vas deferens and the fertility of both partners. Depending on the individual case, doctors may consider vasectomy reversal. For men who want to conceive immediately, especially if the vasectomy was performed a long time ago or if other factors affect fertility, doctors may recommend retrieving sperm from the epididymis for IVF.

Dinh Lam

* Character names have been changed