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Tubal Sterilization Methods

Tubal sterilization is a safe, permanent and highly effective form of birth control for women who know they don't want any more children. According to Planned Parenthood, sterilization is nearly 100 percent effective, with 20 or fewer women out of 1,000 becoming pregnant after the procedure. Several methods of sterilization exist, most of which work by blocking a woman's fallopian tubes so eggs can no longer reach the uterus and be fertilized.

  1. Incision Methods

    • In a tubal ligation, a surgical method of sterilization, the fallopian tubes are cut and tied or sealed shut with bands, clips or an electric current. Laparoscopy is the tubal sterilization method used most frequently in the United States. The procedure takes about 20 to 30 minutes and you can usually return home the same day. A mini-laparotomy is usually performed after childbirth and has a recovery time of a few days. Laparotomy, a major surgery, is used the least frequently of the three methods. It may require a 2 to 4 day hospital stay and often takes weeks to recover at home. Tubal ligation is a very safe procedure, with only rare complications from infection, bleeding or the anaesthesia used. It is immediately effective with no further need for back-up birth control.

    Non-Incision Methods

    • With hysteroscopic sterilization methods, such as Adiana and Essure, your healthcare provider places a small insert or coil in your fallopian tubes. Over the course of three months, scar tissue develops around the insert or coil, blocking the tube. Non-incision methods of sterilization allow you to avoid the risks of surgery and anaesthesia and you have a faster recovery rate, sometimes in as little as a day. However, you do need to use back-up birth control until your check-up at three months confirms your tubes have been successfully blocked.

    Hysterectomy

    • In a hysterectomy, your healthcare provider completely removes your uterus and sometimes one or both of your fallopian tubes and ovaries, usually because of a critical medical problem. After a hysterectomy, you will no longer have a period. Recovery time is significant, with a stay of several days in the hospital, followed by several weeks recovering at home. You should not have intercourse for 4 to 6 weeks after the procedure to ensure you heal properly. Because hysterectomies are usually needed to address a serious health concern, the risk of death is much higher than with other sterilization methods, and 10 to 20 percent of the procedures develop complications, including blood loss and infection.

    Considerations

    • Tubal sterilization is a permanent form of birth control. If you have any ambivalence about having more children, choose a different method. According to a review of research on tubal sterilization in "American Family Physician," the main reasons for regretting having a tubal sterilization are young age and changes in life circumstances, such as divorce or losing a child. Pressure to have the procedure done from family, a spouse or a doctor also increase the risk of regret -- but being single, having no children and education level do not. Fewer than 10 percent of women who undergo tubal sterilization have the procedure reversed and reversals have a 47 to 90 percent success rate.

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