Our Miracle Baby Jillian

Los Angeles and Orange County, May 9, 2011

When you read a headline about a “miracle” baby, it’s typically about a woman overcoming infertility and giving birth. But in this case, the circumstances are reversed and, at the age of 45, I’m a father again!

In 2009, Dr. Robert Pugach performed my vasectomy reversal. I was concerned that my vasectomy reversal might not be successful as I had it done in 2002 by another urologist. I shared my doubts with my wife, Jessica, because 7 years had passed and the odds seemed against me that I would be able to father a child again. Our Internet research gave us a basic understanding of the procedure and the success rates. In fact, that’s how we found out about West Coast Urology and Dr. Robert Pugach. Although we live in Lancaster, we were willing to make the drive to consult with Dr. Pugach.

From our research we knew that a vasectomy reversal requires suturing the ends of my tubes – the vas deferens, back together again. The procedure seemed to be rather straightforward. But, as Dr. Pugach explained to us, a vasectomy reversal isn’t as simple as it sounds. The procedure requires a one to two hour delicate surgical procedure on each side with remarkable precision. Using microsurgical techniques, Dr. Pugach would have to carefully stitch together the cut ends of my vas deferens. As we learned, an exact alignment is needed for a successful operation. Dr. Pugach told us how difficult this is because the inside of the vas deferens is very tiny – just one-third of a millimeter in diameter. Up to 24 stitches must be placed in and around each tube. They are so small that it is difficult to see them without an operating room microscope.

After discussing it with Jessica, we decided that we wanted to try. We understood that there is no guarantee in life but we very much wanted to have a baby. So, in November of 2009, I underwent the procedure at a local community hospital. I was discharged home the same day with minimal pain and advised to take it easy for 72 hours. We returned to Dr. Pugach’s office after six months for our follow up semen analysis and we were thrilled to be given the good news that my sperm count was good.

As it turned out, almost six months after my vasectomy reversal, Jessica’s pregnancy test was positive. Our miracle baby, Jillian was born January 4, 2011. Bringing Jillian home to meet her four siblings, aged 18 to 10 years, was the best New Year’s gift we could hope for.

Yet, our story doesn’t end here. With our family now complete, I have once again opted for a vasectomy. This time, Dr. Pugach will be performing a No Needle, No Scalpel vasectomy. Unlike a vasectomy reversal, the vasectomy will only take 15 minutes while I watch a television mounted on the ceiling and surf through my favorite channels.

I encourage all men looking to have a vasectomy reversal or a vasectomy to consult with Dr. Pugach. The care and attention you receive from everyone at West Coast Urology is unparalleled.