After my wife and I had the children we wanted, I got a vasectomy. Some years later we divorced. Now my new partner wants us to have children of our own, and I am currently configured otherwise! I've read up on vasectomy reversal, and I am not squeamish about the surgery, but the success rate after 10 years isn't that hot. Plus there are such factors as cost and discomfort. So I'm wondering: Is the amount of sperm retrieved by extraction sufficient for artificial insemination? Or is something more invasive recommended, like IVF? The lady has no fertility problems.

Tom

Sperm extraction -- regardless of whether the sperm are obtained from testicular biopsy or aspiration or aspiration from the epididymis -- does not provide sufficient numbers of motile sperm to use for insemination. Other than vasectomy reversal, your choices after vasectomy are insemination with donor sperm; retrieval of sperm and eggs for IVF; sperm-egg injection at the time of IVF (a procedure called ICSI); or adoption.