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Ligations Side Effects

Tubal ligation, or "having your tubes tied," is a procedure in which a woman's fallopian tubes are tied, cut or blocked in order to prevent pregnancy. After a tubal ligation, a woman's eggs are no longer able to travel from the ovary to the tube where they could be fertilized by sperm. About 10 million U.S. women have had tubal ligations since the 1960s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics. The procedure has side effects you should know about.

  1. Process

    • During a tubal ligation, a woman typically is put under general anesthesia and one or two small incisions are made in her abdomen. A laparoscope, a small magnifying instrument with lights, is inserted through the incision and instruments are passed through the laparoscope to cauterize or close the fallopian tubes. A newer method involves a tubal implant in which a thin catheter is placed into each fallopian tube to prevent pregnancy.

    Side Effects

    • Post-surgery side effects of a tubal ligation include some vaginal bleeding, fatigue, abdominal pain and dizziness. The anesthesia may cause nausea, gas and shoulder pain. A distended abdomen is also common following the procedure. You may need a few days before returning to work, and expect to resume sexual relations within about one week.

    Complications

    • Serious complications following a tubal ligation are rare but could include reactions to the anesthesia, infection, blood loss, injuries to the bladder, bowel or blood vessels. In the highly unlikely scenario of a pregnancy occurring, the risk of an ectopic pregnancy would increase.

    Misconceptions

    • While no official medical studies have noted other side effects, a significant number of women report symptoms such as heavier periods, mood swings, insomnia, fatigue and hot flashes. These are symptoms women would experience after stopping birth control pills, however. Most likely the symptoms attributed to post-tubal ligation syndrome are actually the result of stopping oral contraceptives.

    Warning

    • While rare, certain symptoms after any surgical procedure warrant immediate medical attention. Following tubal ligation surgery, contact your doctor if you experience fever, chills, unusual bleeding or have redness/inflammation around the incision site.

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