Men Getting Reverse Vasectomies Seek Second Chance
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Approximately 500,000 men a year get a vasectomy and about 30,000 have a reversal. About half of those men reversing their vasectomy's do so because they've gotten remarried and they are hoping for a second chance at a happy family.
Vasectomies are so popular and trendy you can even find people singing about them on the internet.
"In bad economic times they become more popular," said University of Miami M Hospital Urologist Dr. Charles Lynne.
Click here to watch Cynthia Demos' report.
People know having another baby is just too expensive but there's another group seeing vasectomy reversals on the rise - second marriages.
Miami's Heriberto Jusino was married for seven years the first time. He had three3 children and he was sure he was done so he got a vasectomy.
"Then I got divorced and married again and a year into the marriage decided to have kids," said Jusino.
But his wife Julie knew he had 'the procedure' nine years prior.
"I told her the doctor cut on both sides and throw away the center," said Jusino.
Jusino was hoping for another shot at a successful marriage with children and told Julie, who'd never had kids, that he wanted to reverse that so called 'permanent fix'.
"I was crying that day," recalled Julie Jusino.
Her husband met with Dr. Lynne.
Dr. Lynne says the biggest focus is when the man had the vasectomy. If it was in the past five years, there's an 80 percent success rate. If you had the procedure between five and 10 years ago there is a 60 percent success rate and more than 10 years ago a 50 percent success rate. Jusino was in that middle range - a 60 percent chance.
"I had faith it was going to work," he said.
Dr. Lynne said younger couples, who have a little more time to play with, and couples wanting to watch costs typically opt for vasectomy reversals while older couples who don't have the luxury of time, or those with more expendable income, opt for Invitro Fertilization or IVF.
Jusino's reversal wasn't covered by insurance, but Reproductive Medicine Associates in New York said insurance companies are beginning to cover more vasectomy reversals because they like reducing the risk of multiple births, a strong possibility with IVF, which also brings on medical expenses and an increase in complications for the mom and children.
For the Jusinos, the operation was a success. Three months after the reversal, their doctor tested the sperm to see if the procedure was a success.
"I was pregnant but I didn't know it," said Julie Jusino.
She got pregnant before the three month test even happened. The results - nine months later Nathalie who is now 11-years old and their son Edward who is six.
"We live for them that's what we do," said Heriberto.
With three kids from his first marriage and two with the second, Heriberto says he is definitely done having kids but this time around he's going to skip the vasectomy.
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