# Vasectomy reversal question

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vasectomy-reversal-question/455871>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 9, 2008, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vasectomy-reversal-question/455871 "2008-07-09T18:31:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\
**Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vasectomy-reversal-question/455871/1 "2008-07-09T18:31:59Z")

</div>

Why does the age of a vasectomy impact the overall success of the reversal procedure?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vasectomy-reversal-question/455871/2 "2008-07-10T02:32:55Z")

</div>

[QUOTE=Inigo Montoya]  
Why does the age of a vasectomy impact the overall success of the reversal procedure?  
[/QUOTE]  
Some years ago I read a comment by a surgeon to the effect that micro-surgery had developed to the point that hooking the plumbing back together was not an issue any more. The problem is that sperm are still generated and, having no place to go, languish around for a while, disintegrate, and are absorbed. Being haploid, more specifically, having undergone [chromosomal crossover](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromosomal_crossover) during meiosis, they aren’t really “self” so the body develops antibodies against them.

So even after the ducting is stitched back together and everything is clear ahead (heh), the sperm aren’t in very good shape. The longer the time since the big snip, the more antibodies.