Surgeon’s Experience

It is your decision to choose the surgeon who will perform your vasectomy reversal. This choice is crucial in determining the success or failure of the procedure.

There are important questions you should ask both of the doctor who intends to carry out your vasectomy reversal and the hospital or day surgery in which you will have your operation:

• Is the doctor certified as a SPECIALIST by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulatory Authority?
  (Some doctors who do vasectomy reversals are not specialists)
• Does the doctor have SUB-SPECIALIST certification (a specialist’s specialist) with training in reproductive microsurgery?
  (Reproductive Microsurgeons with sub-specialty certification will characteristically possess the letters CREI in their qualifications)
• Is vasectomy reversal a common operation the surgeon performs?
• Is the hospital or day surgery where the doctor intends to perform your surgery accredited by your state government department of health?
  (typically if they are not then no health insurance fund will pay for the hospital stay or operating theatre component of your surgery)
• Does your doctor perform the operation from beginning to end?
  (confirm that no fellows or trainees are undertaking any part of your surgery)
• Does your doctor use a dedicated operating microscope, microsurgical instruments and have staff that are thoroughly experienced in all aspects of microsurgical vasectomy reversal?
  (characteristically those who perform low numbers of vasectomy reversals do not use such facilities)