Guest Author - Maria Hester, M.D.

Tubal ligation is a highly effective form of contraception for women. This surgical sterilization technique is both permanent and convenient.
Many women refer to this procedure as having their tubes tied. The tubes referred to are the fallopian tubes, also called the oviducts. The fallopian tubes are where the eggs actually become fertiziled by the male’s sperm, even before actually entering the uterus where the fetus subsequently grows.

With tubal ligation, the fallopian tubes are sealed shut, so traveling sperm cannot reach an egg that may have been released from the ovaries during the regular cycle.

Where is this procedure performed?
Tubal ligation can be performed in the office or in the operating room.
With modern science, the fallopian tubes can be tied laparoscopically. In other words, instead of opening up the pelvis, and subsequently leaving large scars, the procedure can be done with tiny cuts that often leave virtually no evidence of a prior surgical procedure.

Are there different types of tubal ligation?
Yes, there are. Routine laparoscopic sterilization takes place in the operating room and requires general or region anesthesia. This is typically the procedure done when a woman opts for surgical sterilization apart from recent childbirth.

Minilaparatomy also occurs in an operating room under general or regional anesthesia. This is the procedure that women often have soon after giving birth, prior to going home from the hospital.

Hysteroscopic sterilization, unlike the other two, can actually be done in the office, though it is sometimes done in the operating room as well. This procedure only requires local anesthesia.

What else do I need to know about tubal ligation?
As with any major life-altering decision, the decision to undergo a tubal ligation should be approached with great thought and should never be rushed. Sterilization is a permanent procedure and if there are any doubts about whether one wants to have a baby in the future, this is not the form of contraception to choose.

Furthermore, as with most medical procedures, there is no 100 percent guarantee. While this is a highly effective form of contraception, at least one study has shown a failure rate of up to 1 percent. In other words, 1 in 100 women may become pregant even after having had a tubal ligation.

Will tubal ligation affect my menstrual periods?
Chances are you may experience fewer days of menstrual bleeding and less total blood loss during your monthly cycles after undergoing a tubal ligation, though there may be more menstrual cycle irregularity.

How safe if this procedure?
Complications of tubal ligation are estimated to occur in approximately 1 in 1,000 women, and include such things as infection, injury to the bladder or bowels, problems related to anesthesia, and internal bleeding.


Food for thought... In many countries around the world, women have NO access to contraception and countless babies are born into this world to face a life of poverty and hunger. If you could feed a starving child with the leftover change in your pocket that you would not even miss, would you do it? If a small donation would prevent a helpless baby from crying herself to sleep from hunger just one night, would it be worth it to you? If so, I urge you to go to Food for the Poor and help a beautiful child right now.