How likely is it to get pregnant after a vasectomy? Worried.

[Phylis81]

Feeling a little concerned.

My periods are normally like clockwork and I've realised I've missed a month. I got the achy boobs (but not half as bad as usual) and have had terrible back pain which is now going away and about a week ago I had a weird slight 'show' which was faint pink but that was it.

Another thing is that I've lost my appetite and am going off chocolate which is just unheard of really. Plus - I'm so tearful I periodically want to burst into tears. I cried yesterday over something really stupid which made me realise how out of character all this is. I never cry!

Nausea, irritability, tiredness - it's all there.

But my partner had a vasectomy years ago (before he met me so not sure on dates etc) so I can't be?

If I am I don't know what I'd do, the more I think about it the more worried I get.

I've just looked up the failure rate and it's 0.4% so it is possible his vasectomy has failed but fairly unlikely. Could the symptoms be really bad PMT? Maybe try a pregnancy test?

Poas, it's the only answer

How old are you?

Sounds like peri-menopause to me, can feel very much like early pregnancy, I did a couple of tests a few years ago after DH had been done, it properly freaked me out.

POAS!

But seriously, far lower failure rate than other methods of contraception. As I understand it, particularly if the vasectomy was some time ago (presumably because you get pregnant before that if it failed!!).

Hope you get the right result.

I'm 32, surely not?

The failure rate for vasectomy is 1:2000 (compare to female sterilisation which is 1:200 (figures from FPA)) but about half of those are early failures (ie shagging before the all clear). Recanalisation is possible, but as you can see from the figures, very rare.

POAS to find out. And consider getting another semen analysis (Marie Stopes do it for about £30). If he's clear a number of years after the op, recanalisation is vanishingly unlikely. It might be worth knowing if he remains sterile if you are going into the perimenopause and cannot rely on your cycle for monthly reassurance.

He's never had any kind of test whilst we've been together - not sure how long he's had the snip but if it's been years and years (and I assume it has since his youngest is 16) then he probably assumes he no longer needs to.

I'll give it another week or so and then do a test but I'll try and relax about it in the meantime if it really is that unlikely.

Have you shagged anyone else?! The signs all point to it, but it's reeeeeeeeeaaaaally unlikely. POAS to rule it out though - 0.04% is actually a lot higher than I'd have thought.

Only way to be sure is to take a pregnancy test. It isn't unheard of to fall pregnant years after a vasectomy, just it is rare.

No I've not shagged anyone else I'd be slightly more concerned than I am if it that was the case!!

Just POAS now and you can stop thinking about it!

Just do it now and get it out of the way.

Just do it now and get it out of the way. If you've missed a whole month it should show up now.

Mike - if she had slept with someone else the OP would be more like 'Oh fuck, I slept with someone else and I think I'm pregnant but DH has had the snip so it can't be his'.

That really would be the ultimate drip feed wouldn't it.

Good luck for a BFN OP.

lol can you imagine a couple of pages in ...

"oh by the way, not sure if it's relevant but I slept with someone else last month ... "

I'm sure I'm worrying over nothing, it's probably just stress causing my body to go a bit haywire. Thanks for the advice and support :)

It would be a mighty sneaky way of checking whether you could pass the child off as your DH's. .

It was a JOKE, stop ing at me! :o

Sorry OP, I'm obviously very much on my own with my sense of humour. Have probably seen worse drip feeds though. :o

I was told recently by a hospital consultant that the failure rate for a vasectomy is 1 in 2000. I haven't looked anywhere to see if that is right but if you feel like you are pregnant then there is only one thing to do.

You need to test. Are you usually regular?

Test...my DH had the snip last year and unfortunately is in the 1 in 2000 failre rate...:( so I am back to contraception again and can't use hormonal stuff so back to the condoms for us...

Leaving it a week wont change the result if it is positive.

If you missed it 2 weeks ago then you would be 6 weeks now, 7 next week. If you are pg and decide not to go ahead with it, that gives you another week less to go through your options, I believe you can only have a medical termination up to 9 weeks, and if my experience is anything to go by, it can be three or four weeks before you can get an NHS appointment.

If there is any question mark at all over what you would do if it is positive then you need to find out sooner rather than later.

Poas OP. Good luck x

When Dh had the snip 12 years ago we were told 1 in 30,000 chance.

Started period today (with a vengeance!) thanks Christ. Thanks for the support yesterday everyone.

Phew. Only just saw this, but phew.