While tubal ligation is generally considered a permanent procedure which should only be done in women who are certain that they will not want any children in the future, a small percentage of women change their mind due to remarriage or another change in their life.
If you want to have children after having your tubes “tied,” there are two ways to do it. You can have in vitro fertilization (IVF) by getting the eggs from the ovaries, fertilizing them in the laboratory and then placing the embryos in the uterus. No major surgery is required but there are a lot of shots and visits. For additional information see IVF Primer.
The other option involves an operation with an overnight stay at Alta Bates Hospital and a 3-5 week period of recovery at home. To see if surgery is possible, it is best for you to obtain the operative note and pathology report from the tubal ligation operation in advance of or by the time of your initial visit.
The total cost of IVF, including medications, is about $13,000 while the current cost of the reversal operation is about $9,000.
Which approach is best for you depends on several factors: your age, the type of tubal ligation performed, the quality of the partner’s sperm and your own preference.