Sean and Selina Mangelson

Mar 2010
Vasectomy Reversal
Rio Grande Valley, Texas
Age: 35

Hi, my husband Sean and I have 6 beautiful children together. I have 3 sons ages 6,8 and 10 from a previous marriage and my husband has 2 daughters and a son ages 5,8 and 11 from his previous marriage. He had a vasectomy during his previous marriage because of its instability, however when we became engaged we both revealed how much we had always wanted more children when the right person came along. We also felt it was important to blend our family and link our children together with a new baby.

Since Sean always knew he wanted more children, the vasectomy he chose was the Vaso-clip. With the Vaso-clip they do not sever the tubes, they place a tiny clamp on both tubes to block the sperm. Since he had done the procedure immediately after the birth of his son 5 years ago, we were worried that the clamps may have fused the ducts.

We heard about Rio Bravo Reversals through a friend who had a tubal ligation reversal and became pregnant on the first try a couple months later. We read the testimonies, did the research and decided to go for it. We prepared by taking out just the exact amount of money we needed for the bill and very little extra cash for snacks. I also decided to take a back pack with extra clothes, blanket, pillow and snacks. I advise taking your own drinks and snacks because the vending machine only takes pesos. Since we live in the Valley we decided to just drive to the office and to our surprise it was very easy to find. They immediately checked us in and told us the doctor would be in to visit with us in a couple hours. In the mean time they did heart monitoring, started an IV, and drew blood. Before we knew it the doctor came in and told us he was ready to start. After the epidural they wheeled him in, I scrubbed in and was allowed to stand at his head to comfort him and watch the surgery. Things are unconventional in Mexico but they still take all the precautions to prevent infection. If you are squeamish or are sensitive to the smell of burning tissues I would not advise scrubbing in. My husband was very glad I was there to soothe him and provide comfort. After an hour we were all done. The surgeon had trouble with one of the ducts because it became damaged over the years, but they managed to open it up and were confident there would be good flow. They wheeled him back to the room, served us a traditional Mexican dinner and we went to sleep. In the morning we checked out and drove home. The experience was a good one and I recommend Rio Bravo Reversals to everyone.

Just a few notes: Do not be alarmed by the military you see and always be cooperative if you are ever questioned. Understand that you are NOT in the U.S. and the hospitals are not run like in the U.S. The nurses don’t wear gloves and the blankets are very home-style but everything is clean so do not worry. There is a couch and a recliner in the room for spouses to sleep on. You will not have many English channels to watch so I suggest taking your IPOD or Laptop for entertainment. You will be in the presence of your belongings and can bring it with you in the operating room if you’re nervous. Also, start your baby making scrapbook…bring a camera and take pictures before, after and even during the procedure if you wish. And always remember to make this a positive experience…you are starting the process of making your new baby!

Remember…PLEASE follow the post-op instructions exactly! Take care of yourself and recovery will go quicker. We did sperm counts after 2 months since recovery time is 6 weeks. His count was normal with good motility and we were given the green light to start trying for baby. We tried that first month possible but miscarried before I made it to the doctor for a first visit in January 2010. We took it as a good sign that at least we were able to get pregnant. I was given progesterone and we tried again in February with realistic expectations that it would probably take at least 6 months to get pregnant. A month later on March 5th I was scheduled for my annual exam with my OBGyn and they revealed I was actually PREGNANT! With my calculations I was only about 2 weeks pregnant and very surprised the pregnancy was detected. Today we went in for a sonogram and we were able to see the tiny yolk sac with the tiny spec of our growing bundle of joy!! Baby is only about 5 weeks gestation (from conception) but as doctors calculate, I am considered 7 weeks pregnant. We are staying hopeful and praying that everything will continue to go well and we are scheduled to hear baby’s first heartbeat in 2 weeks. We are due November 11th and will make updates on the sex and birth of the baby.

Thank you to the team at Rio Bravo Reversals for making this all possible for us. They truly are blessings to all of us who have been successful in expanding or starting a family.

Thanks RBR!!!!
Sean and Selina