Ask the Doctor

From Amber:-
My husband had a vasectomy reversal on May 17, 2007.  It had been 10 years since his original vasectomy.  He is 36 years old. The reconnection was done microscopic and was VV on one side and EV on the other.  6 weeks post reversal he had sperm in his ejaculate but they were non-mobile.   August semen analysis showed no sperm.  Today’s semen analysis showed no sperm.  He has been on numerous antibiotics, the most recent being Keflex plus steroids.  At five months post vasectomy reversal, should he have sperm in his ejaculate?  Is it too early to say the reversal failed or worked? 

I am very frustrated that we aren’t getting good semen analysis reports. I don’t want to give up but don’t know what to expect. 

Return of sperm to the ejaculate is reported to be 3 months after a vasovasostomy (VV) and 6 months after an epididymovasostomy(EV). However, these are only averages and some men will have return of sperm sooner and others can take up to 12 months to see sperm return to the ejaculate. The disappearance of sperm after having seen sperm in the ejaculate suggests there has been some scarring or swelling of the reproductive tract since the surgery. The initial sperm seen in the ejaculate likely came from the VV side. A course of antibiotics and steroids was the appropriate treatment after the initial semen analysis results. Patience and possibly another course of steroids would be the next step to determine whether the vasectomy reversal was a success. Remember, it can take up to 12 months to see results after a vasectomy reversal.