Artificial Insemination After Tubal Ligation

QUESTION: Once you have had a tubal ligation (mine were cauterized), can you
get pregnant through artificial insemination? What exactly is the procedure?
Wouldn't this be less costly than an operation to reverse my present
condition? I am 32 years old and healthy.
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ANSWER: Although artificial insemination (AI) is a relatively simple process,
it won't achieve the results you desire while your tubes are closed. In
artificial insemination, the sperm is obtained from a male donor and placed
into the vagina during the short period of ovulation, to yield the greatest
chance for a pregnancy. These sperm then find their way through the uterus up
the fallopian tubes, to meet with the egg, that has been produced by the ovary
a short time before. This method is used when examinations and tests have
determined that sperm from the present male partner is deficient in either
numbers or quality, and has been diagnosed as the reason for the couple's
inability to produce a desired baby. In order for the procedure to be
successful the tubes must be patent (open), with a clear passage for both
sperm and egg to move through and meet. When tubes have been closed
surgically, this is not possible and so AI won't work in your case. You
require an operation to reverse the condition. The surgeon, operating with
the aid of a microscope, would attempt to sew the two ends of the severed tube
back together in a manner which would leave the central canal open. It's a
delicate procedure, and not always successful, for the healing process
sometimes creates a scar which closes the tube again. In some cases where a
woman has diseased Fallopian tubes, a physician may attempt to obtain a ripe
egg from the ovary, using a telescope like instrument inserted into the
abdomen through a small incision. This egg is then fertilized by the sperm in
a "test tube" and the fertilized egg is replanted in the uterus to grow. It
is a most delicate process, performed only by experienced specialists, but has
been successful in a number of instances.