It is many people’s dream to have a family one day but starting a family is not as simple as deciding you want a baby one day. Many people experience problems conceiving a baby and some people face difficulties because of decisions they have made earlier on in their lives.
Nowadays, it is common for many members of different families to live together as a result of divorce, new relationships and re-marriage. An increasingly common situation is a man that has had a vasectomy in the past finding that he wants to have more children after entering a new relationship. A vasectomy is considered a permanent contraceptive measure, but it can be reversed. A vasectomy reversal involves reconnecting the vas deferens tubes, which are responsible for carrying the sperm; the operation is not guaranteed to be successful and is not widely available on the NHS. Success rates are much higher if the vasectomy reversal operation is carried out within ten years of the original vasectomy; after this period of time, the chances of conceiving are considerably lower. The cost of a vasectomy reversal depends on which clinic the patient chooses but typically patients should expect to pay in the region of £1500 to £3000 for private treatment.
Some people have trouble conceiving a child because they have underlying health issues that affect their fertility; in women, conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome and pelvic inflammatory disease can cause infertility and other factors such as lifestyle choices, obesity and sexually transmitted infections may also affect the ability to conceive. In men, lifestyle choices can also have serious implications for fertility and they may also experience troubles as a result of medical conditions associated with the production of sperm and the structures of the reproductive system. Infertility treatment can be used to help couples conceive but it is often a long and arduous road which may not result in success.