How much does it cost to get your fallopian tubes untied if you change your mind about having more children in the future? Life circumstances often evolve.
Tubal ligation reversal surgery is expensive – and rarely covered by insurance.
Defining the problem is the first step. You have the price range for the procedure itself ($5,000 to $15,000), and then you have consequences (becoming pregnant, taking unpaid maternity leave, and losing your job).
The three combined are not cheap! However, you can take steps to keep the operation and consequences more affordable and find resources near where you live that might help.
Tubal Reversal Cost Factors
Several factors pertinent to tubal ligation reversal procedures dictate how much it will cost to untie your tubes via surgery. The average price of $9,000 in the U.S. is just a starting point.
Grants
Many couples seek financial assistance from the government or charitable organizations to lower their tubal ligation reversal costs. Most do not succeed and will need to find an alternative.
Grants might help you untie your tubes cheaply, but do not count on that happening. Free money from the government is scarce, restrictions apply to voluntary sterilizations, and charities rely on donors.
Insurance
The cost to untie your tubes is lowest with insurance that covers the reversal surgery because you only have to fund the deductible, co-insurance, and copayments when applicable.
Establishing a valid medical reason for the tubal reversal is crucial to getting health insurance to cover this pricey procedure. Changing your mind about having another baby will be insufficient. You need to document symptoms such as Dysmenorrhea or a decline in estrogen.
Financing
Financing can affect how much it costs to untie your tubes because many couples must borrow money when they do not have enough cash in the bank. You might have to add interest charges and origination fees to your total price.
Payment plans for tubal reversal make the procedure easier to afford by spreading the expense out over time. However, a couple borrowing $10,000 over five years (60 months) could incur two incremental outlays.
- Upfront origination fees average 5% or $500 additional
- Interest rates average 10%, equating to $2,748 extra
Average Amount
While the average cost of untying your tubes might be $9,000, your actual expenses can range from $5,000 to $15,000, depending on the elective sterilization you need to reverse, optional steps, and facility fees.
Previous Procedure
The cost of reversing a bilateral tubal ligation depends on the method used by the previous surgeon. There may be more or fewer complicated steps. Expect the clinic to charge accordingly.
There are at least nine different tubal ligation procedures.
- Bipolar Coagulation: electrical currents cauterize sections
- Fimbriectomy: removes a piece closest to the ovaries
- Irving Procedure: removes a segment between ligatures
- Monopolar Coagulation: cauterize tubes together
- Hulka Clip: blocks the transference of eggs
- Tubal Ring: Silastic band over the doubled sections
- Pomeroy Technique: Cut, tied, and burned
- Essure Coils: Small fiber coils inserted inside
- Adiana Method: Silicone pieces placed inside
Optional Steps
Your surgeon could recommend various tests or treatments, which would add to total tubal reversal expenses. Some will be required, while others are optional. The clinic may or may not include these charges in its base fee.
- Pre-operative bloodwork to spot infections (STD, HIV, or Hepatitis)
- Ultrasound and exam to visualize the health of reproductive organs
- Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) test to assess ovarian function
- Semen analysis to confirm the sperm count of your partner
- Liposuction for women with Body Mass Index (BMI) over 29
- Prescribed medications (anesthesia, antibiotics, anti-nausea)
Facility Fees
Your tubal reversal operation will occur in an outpatient surgical facility or hospital setting. Most women will require a brief stay in the recovery area, and they can check out the same day. However, complications that require an overnight hospital stay could add significant charges to your bill.
Every surgery entails risks that could lead to an overnight stay.
- Bleeding
- Infection
- Damage to nearby organs
- Reactions to anesthesia
Tax Breaks
The IRS can also influence how much it costs to untie your tubes because your reversal surgery is tax-deductible. Three tax-saving vehicles could reduce your expenditure immensely or not at all.
Flexible Spending Account
Using a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) to pay your tubal ligation reversal expenses could cut costs while providing a hidden benefit you probably never considered.
Guaranteed financing for tubal reversal is viable when using your FSA to pay for the surgery. Schedule the procedure at the beginning of the plan year, and your employer must reimburse the qualifying expense immediately. You have up to 12 months to repay the interest-free loan using pre-taxed payroll contributions.
Using an FSA to pay for tubal ligation reversal can cut expenditures by almost 30% for the average couple (22% federal and 7.65% FICA) with no spending threshold to meet first. However, the contribution limits cap the potential savings.
- Individual employee: $2,750
- Married couple: $5,500
Itemizing Deductions
Tubal ligation reversal costs qualify as deductible medical and dental expenses. However, only the amount above 7.5% of Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) generates savings for couples who itemize rather than take the standard deduction.
- $12,950 single
- $25,900 married filing jointly
Consult your certified public accountant for precise advice on this topic.
Health Savings Account
Using a Health Savings Account (HSA) to pay for tubal reversal surgery can cut costs by the same 30% (22% federal and 7.65% FICA) without the spending threshold or ceiling associated with the other tax savings vehicles.
You combine an HSA with a High-Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) and fund the account with pre-tax payroll contributions.
If you establish an account before incurring a qualifying expense, you can repay yourself later using tax-favored dollars, provided you continue with an HDHP. Therefore, the annual contribution limits do not get in your way.
- Self-only: $3,650
- Family: $7,300
Tubal Reversal Cost By State
Many couples ask how much it costs to untie their tubes in a location near where they live because many do not have the luxury of time to travel outside the U.S. for low-priced reversal surgery.
The procedure price is relatively uniform state-to-state, but the impact of the intended outcome (pregnancy) varies tremendously.
- The length of maternity leave varies by state laws (most have none). The federal FMLA lasts twelve weeks but covers only half of all workers, and the time off is unpaid.
- Pregnancy disability pay amounts vary by state laws (most have none). However, purchasing private coverage before conception can address the lack of mandated benefits.
California
The cost to untie your tubes in California is the lowest because the Golden State has the most generous pregnancy benefits. Women do not face unpaid maternity leave and do not risk losing their jobs if they take a long work absence due to complications before birth.
- CA State Disability Insurance (SDI) replaces a portion of income when a mom cannot work because of pregnancy complications before birth and while recovering from labor and delivery.
- CA Paid Family Leave provides additional income replacement benefits while the mom spends time bonding with her newborn baby.
- CA Pregnancy Disability Leave protects her job for up to four months should she need to stop working before her due date.
- CA New Parent Leave Act allows moms an additional twelve weeks of job protection after the birth of their newborn.
Texas
The cost to untie your tubes in Texas is higher because the Lone Star State does not have any of the pregnancy benefits CA employees enjoy. You face unpaid maternity leave and possible job loss.
Buy short-term disability before your tubal ligation reversal surgery. The new policy will not cover the recovery from your procedure because it is not medically necessary. However, the intended outcome (your future pregnancy) is, provided the coverage begins before conception (now).
Texas also has an IVF insurance mandate that requires issuing companies to offer benefits to employers. However, the requirement does not extend to women struggling with infertility because of previous voluntary sterilization.
Louisiana
The cost to untie your tubes in Louisiana is the highest because the Pelican State does not require extra maternity leave benefits, has an applicable infertility mandate, and does not border another country.
Louisiana insurance laws prohibit the exclusion of coverage for correctable medical conditions that cause infertility. However, the regulation does not require insurers to cover tubal ligation reversal.
Louisiana does not border Mexico like the other two states. Therefore, residents might incur higher travel expenses when crossing the border to find low-priced tubal reversal surgery.
