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Both local and general anesthesia may be used during a tubal reversal. The procedure may be completed on an outpatient basis, although in some cases it requires a hospital admission. A tubal reversal is usually performed using one of two techniques:

• Minilaparotomy. A small incision (1 to 3 inches long) is made below the navel and the physician raises a portion of each fallopian tube to repair it.
  
  
• Laparoscopy. The patient’s abdomen is inflated with gas (carbon dioxide), which helps the surgeon locate the fallopian tubes. A small incision is made below the navel, and a laparoscope is inserted into the abdomen. Instruments are inserted into the same incision or a separate incision and the tubes are repaired.

Magnification and microsurgical techniques are used to repair the fallopian tubes. The ends of the tubes are cut to expose the inner, open space of the tube, called the lumen. These openings are then fused using a microscope and very fine suture material. The size of these sutures is smaller than the width of a human hair. After the tubes have been reattached, the outer covering (serosa) of tubes is sutured together over the top of the inner tube.

Surgery can take anywhere from two to six hours to complete. Patients are often discharged from the hospital the following day, but the patient may need several weeks to fully recover.

Patients will generally remain in the hospital for several hours following the procedure. In some cases, a hospital stay may be required. Once discharged, patients should follow their physician’s advice in regard to any dietary, activity or medication restrictions following surgery. In most cases, recovery will take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.

A woman can begin trying to conceive following the first menstrual period that occurs after the reversal procedure. Because women who have tubal reversals are at increased risk for ectopic pregnancy, it is important to perform a pregnancy test whenever a woman’s period is late.

If the home pregnancy test indicates a positive result, the woman should schedule a visit with her physician, who can perform a blood test to check for a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) that builds up early in a woman’s pregnancy. When this hormone reaches a determined level (1,500 milli-international units per milliliter or above), a vaginal ultrasound can be performed to look for the presence of an intrauterine gestation sac. If this sac is not present, an ectopic pregnancy is strongly suspected and the woman will require medical attention.