| Tubal
ligation is a permanent voluntary form of birth control (contraception) in which
a woman's Fallopian tubes are surgically cut or blocked off to prevent pregnancy.
Purpose
Tubal ligation is performed in women who definitely want
to prevent future pregnancies. It is frequently chosen by women who do not want
more children, but who are still sexually active and potentially fertile, and
want to be free of the limitations of other types of birth control. Women who
should not become pregnant for health concerns or other reasons may also choose
this birth control method. Tubal ligation is one of the leading methods of contraception.
The typical tubal ligation patient is over age 30, is married, and has had two
or three children.
Description
Tubal ligation, or getting one's "tubes
tied," refers to female sterilization, the surgery that ends a woman's ability
to conceive. The operation is performed on the patient's Fallopian tubes. These
tubes, which are about 10 cm long and 0.5 cm in diameter, are found on the upper
outer sides of the uterus, and open into the uterus through small channels. It
is within the Fallopian tube that fertilization, the joining of the egg and the
sperm, takes place. During tubal ligation, the tubes are cut or blocked in order
to close off the sperm's access to the egg.
Normally, tubal ligation
takes about 20-30 minutes, and is performed under general anesthesia, spinal anesthesia,
or local anesthesia with sedation. The surgery can be performed on either hospitalized
patients within 24 hours after childbirth or on outpatients. The woman can usually
leave the hospital the same day.
The most common surgical approaches
to tubal ligation include laparoscopy and mini-laparotomy. In a laparoscopic tubal
ligation, a long, thin telescope-like surgical instrument called a laparoscope
is inserted into the pelvis through a small cut about 1 cm long near the navel.
Carbon dioxide gas is pumped in to help move the abdominal wall to give the surgeon
easier access to the tubes. Often the surgical instruments are inserted through
a second incision near the pubic-hair line. An instrument may be placed through
the vagina to hold the uterus in place.
In a mini-laparotomy, a 3-4 cm
incision is made just above the pubic bone or under the navel. A larger incision,
or laparotomy, is rarely used today. Tubal ligation can also be performed at the
time of a cesarean section.
Tubal ligation costs about $2,000 when performed
by a private physician, but is less expensive when performed at a family planning
clinic. Most insurance plans cover treatment costs.
Tubal ligation
is performed in several ways:
- Electrocoagulation. A heated needle connected
to an electrical device is used to cauterize or burn the tubes. Electrocoagulation
is the most common method of tubal ligation.
- Falope ring. In this technique,
an applicator is inserted through an incision above the bladder and a plastic
ring is placed around a loop of the tube.
- Hulka clip. The surgeon places
a plastic clip across a tube held in place by a steel spring.
- Silicone
rubber bands. A band placed over a tube forms a mechanical block to sperm.
Preparation
Preparation for tubal ligation includes patient education
and counseling. Before surgery, it is important that the woman understand the
permanent nature of tubal ligation, and the risks of anesthesia and surgery. Her
medical history is reviewed, and a physical examination and laboratory testing
are performed. The patient is not allowed to eat or drink for several hours before
surgery.
Aftercare
After surgery, the patient is monitored
for several hours before she is allowed to go home. She is instructed on care
of the surgical wound, and what signs to watch for, such as fever, nausea, vomiting,
faintness, or pain. These signs could indicate that complications have occurred.
Risks
While major complications are uncommon after tubal ligation,
there are risks with any surgical procedure. Possible side effects include infection
and bleeding. Rarely, death may occur as a complication of general anesthesia
if a major blood vessel is cut. The death rate following tubal ligation is about
four per 100,000 sterilizations.
After laparoscopy, the patient may experience
pain in the shoulder area from the carbon dioxide used during surgery, but the
technique is associated with less pain than mini-laparotomy, as well as a faster
recovery period. Mini-laparotomy results in a higher incidence of pain, bleeding,
bladder injury, and infection compared with laparoscopy. Patients normally feel
better after three or four days of rest, and are able to resume sexual activity
at that time.
Following tubal ligation, there is a low risk (less than
1%) of ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancy is a condition in which the fertilized
egg implants in a place other than the uterus, usually in one of the Fallopian
tubes. Ectopic pregnancies are more likely to happen in younger women, and in
women whose tubes were ligated by electrocoagulation.
Normal results
After having her tubes ligated, a woman does not need to use any form of birth
control to avoid pregnancy. Tubal ligation is almost 100% effective for the prevention
of conception. The possibility for treatment failure is very low--fewer than one
in 200 women (0.4%) will become pregnant during the first year after sterilization.
Failure can happen if the cut ends of the tubes grow back together; if the tube
was not completely cut or blocked off; if a plastic clip or rubber band is loose
or comes off; or if the woman was already pregnant at the time of surgery.
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