Let’s face it: Human beings change their minds. And those women who have had a tubal ligation are no exception. Sometimes life situations change, perhaps you got a ligation too young, or you have since met someone new with whom you wish to have a child, or perhaps you simply wish to have the option of conceiving should the opportunity arise.
Although you could resort to IVF treatments to conceive even after a tubal ligation, the cost of tubal reversal is much lower than IVF treatments, which can cost about $10,000 per treatment in the United States. What’s more, pregnancy rates are higher after tubal reversal than after IVF treatments. Below are the answers to a few common questions about the cost of tubal reversal.
Will my insurance company help offset the cost of tubal reversal?
Sometimes. Whether your insurance company will cover the cost of a tubal reversal depends largely upon which carrier you deal with. Some insurance will cover part or even all of the cost, while others (in fact most) do not.
What’s included in the fee?
Although the fee for a tubal reversal will include different things depending upon where you have the procedure performed, generally the fee includes the following:
• An examination of your medical records
• Pre-op consultation
• Surgeon’s fee
• Anesthesiologist’s fee
• Fee for the operating room and surgical supplies
• Post-op antibiotics and pain-relief medications
• Post-op follow-up care
Tubal reversal fees are usually somewhere around the $5000-6000 mark, although once again, this may vary depending on where you live and whether you have the procedure at a hospital or at a private clinic. Sometimes financing or installment payments are available, making the procedure more affordable to many families.
The cost of tubal ligation reversal should be considered before a woman or couple opts for the ligation surgery. It is important to realize, too, that reversal is not always successful, and that the costs of a failed reversal can be much more than financial. However, if conception is desired following a tubal ligation, tubal reversal can be a much more cost-effective option than the alternative, in-vitro fertilization.