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Female
Sterilization Side Effects
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Female Sterilization
Pomeroy Method Female
sterilization provides permanent contraception for women who do not
want more children. It is a safe and simple surgical procedure and can
usually be done with local anesthesia and light sedation.
If a woman decides that she does not want any more children, she can
choose female sterilization, which involves blocking the Fallopian tubes, the
two hollow arms on either side of the uterus.
Each month an egg moves down one of these tubes from the ovary to the
uterus, and it is within the tube that a sperm fertilizes the egg. If the
tube is blocked or cut, the egg and sperm are kept apart and fertilization
does not take place.
Female sterilization has no effect on hormone levels. A sterilized woman's
periods still occur regularly until menopause. There are several ways to
block the tubes; cutting them is only one method.
The tubes can be shut with a small plastic clip or rubber band or a loop
of each tube can be tied off and then cut.
Another procedure uses a small electrical device to burn a small portion
of both tubes, which then heal shut.
Sterilization can be done at any time either in a hospital or in a clinic
and may be performed right after childbirth. Female sterilization is a
permanent and almost perfect form of birth control.
It is called permanent because it cannot be easily reversed. If a woman
changes her mind about the procedure, there are operations that can be
done to reconnect or open the blocked tubes, but there is no guarantee
they will work.
After sterilization, there is the possibility that the tubes can heal and
reopen and a pregnancy can occur, but there is far less chance of this
happening than of any other form of birth control to fail.
The effectiveness of this method depends partially on how the tubes are
blocked, but all pregnancy rates are low. Only 0.5 pregnancies per 100
women (1 in 200) have been recorded in the first year after the procedure.
Within 10 years, this figure increases to 1.8 pregnancies per 100 women (1
in 55).
Postpartum tubal litigation (immediately after the childbirth) is one of
the most effective female sterilization techniques. In the first year
after the procedure only, 0.05 pregnancies per 100 women (1in 2000) has
been recorded.
What is the Advantages of Female sterilization ?
Female sterilization is more than 99% effective at
preventing pregnancy. It should become effective immediately, although
doctors strongly recommend you continue to use contraception until your
next period, just in case.
Other advantages of female sterilization include:
-
rarely any long-term health consequences,
-
it won't affect your sex drive,
-
it won't interfere with spontaneity of sexual intercourse, or
intercourse itself, (as other forms of contraception can) and
-
it won't affect your hormone levels or periods.
What is the is Disadvantages of Female sterilization ?
It is usually painful for several days after the operation. Certain
uncommon complications of the surgery can occur:
* It is a more complicated and invasive operation than
vasectomy, which
does not require access to the abdomen.
* There is a very small risk of complications such as internal bleeding
and infection or damage to other organs.
* It is possible, but rare, for the tubes to rejoin and make you fertile
again.
* If you do get pregnant after the operation, there is a very increased
risk that it will be an
ectopic pregnancy. So if you miss a period it is
important to take a
pregnancy test immediately.
* It is very difficult to reverse the process - this involves removing the
blocked part of the fallopian tube and re-joining the ends - so you should
be 100% sure before you make your decision.
* It does not protect you against
STDs - you should still use barrier
methods of contraception, such as
condoms, if you are
unsure of your partner's sexual health.
right time to undergo Female Sterilization ?
A woman can have female sterilization procedure anytime that:
* She decides that she will never want children in future.
* It is reasonably certain that she is not pregnant. These times
can include:
---Immediately after childbirth or within 7days, if she has made a
voluntary informed choice in advance;
--- Six weeks or more after childbirth; or
--- Immediately after abortion (within 48 hours), if she has not decided
voluntarily in advance; and
--- Any other, but NOT between 7 days and 6 weeks postpartum.
How it is performed
The procedure can be performed in several ways. Firstly, doctors use one
of the two following methods to gain access to and examine your
reproductive organs:
Laparoscopy - This is the most common method of female
sterilization. The doctor makes a small incision (cut) in your abdominal
wall, and then inserts a laparoscope (a long, thin tube with a tiny camera
lens attached), which lets them clearly see your fallopian tubes.
Additional incisions can be made if other instruments, such as surgical
scissors need to be inserted.
Mini-laparotomy - This involves a smaller incision than a
laparoscopy (usually less than two inches), just above the pubic hairline.
The fallopian tubes are pulled out of the incision to be operated on, and
then put back into place. This procedure may be appropriate for women who
have just had a baby, or have had recent abdominal or pelvic surgery.
Then, they will use one of these four methods to block the passage through
the fallopian tubes:
* Partial salpingectomy - This is the most common method. It involves
cutting and tying or stitching a portion of the fallopian tube.
* Clips - A small-toothed clamp, made from either plastic or titanium, is
placed over the fallopian tube and held closed by its spring clip.
* Silicone rings - A very small loop of the fallopian tube is pulled
through the stretched ring, then clamped shut.
* Electro coagulation - This method uses a harmless electrical current,
which burns a small portion of each fallopian tube and seals them closed.
The operation will be performed under a general or local anesthetic
(general is more commonly used), and usually takes around 30 minutes. The
time you stay in hospital after the operation depends on which method was
used and whether you had local or general anesthetic, but many women
return home the same day. The procedure can even be done at the same time
as a caesarean section or shortly after childbirth.
It is vital to make sure you're not pregnant if you're due to have the
operation, because once your tubes are blocked there is a high risk that
the pregnancy will become ectopic (when the baby grows out side of the
womb - usually in the fallopian tubes). This can be life-threatening as it
can cause severe internal bleeding, so early diagnosis and surgical
treatment are essential.
Important points to remember about female sterilization
1. Permanent family planning method. A woman must think carefully
and decide she will never want any more children, before she makes the
choice.
2. Female sterilization is very effective and involves a safe and simple surgery.
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