About 1 in 20 men want to have their sterilisation reversed after a while. Particular reasons for regretting sterilisation are problems in their relationship at the time of the vasectomy (and mistakenly thinking that the relationship would improve after the sterilisation) or if a partner or doctor put pressure on the man to have the vasectomy (for example, because the woman couldn’t tolerate the contraceptive pill or an IUD). It is often not actually regret, but an unexpected change in personal circumstances (divorce, death of a child).

There are possibilities for vasectomy reversal. The chance of success depends on a number of factors, including the way the sterilisation was done and how long ago the operation took place.

The average success rate of a microsurgical reversal procedure is no more than 50%.