As women’s wellness experts who offer a full scope of contraceptives at New Beginnings OB/GYN in Shenandoah, Texas, our team knows there’s no one-size-fits-all birth control method. But for women who are sure they never want to get pregnant in the future, tubal ligation is often the best option.
Here, Dr. Rania Ibrahim and Dr. Christina Parmar discuss the ins and outs of “permanent birth control” and explore long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) options to consider if you’re not ready to undergo surgery.
Also known as female sterilization, tubal ligation is a minimally invasive surgery that prevents pregnancy indefinitely by blocking, cutting, or closing your fallopian tubes, the tunnel-like structures that connect your ovaries to your uterus and help facilitate monthly ovulation.
About two weeks before your menstrual period, one of your ovaries releases an egg into its adjoining fallopian tube. The egg stays there for about a week, waiting to be fertilized by sperm. If it goes unfertilized, it travels to the uterus so it can exit your body with your period, as your uterus sloughs off its lining.
If you have sex during this fertility window and a sperm unites with the egg in your fallopian tube, the now fertilized egg (zygote) travels down the fallopian tube to implant itself in your uterus — the first step of a pregnancy. A tubal ligation prevents egg fertilization.
If you’re sexually active but done having children, permanent birth control offers several key advantages. “Having your tubes tied” surgically doesn’t alter your menstrual periods or your hormone levels, but it does eliminate the need for contraception before you reach menopause.
The procedure is over 99% effective, virtually guaranteeing that you won’t have to worry about an unplanned pregnancy ever again. It’s also immediately effective.
When you have a tubal ligation, you no longer have to worry about — or pay for — birth control that requires you to take monthly (i.e., vaginal ring), daily (i.e., the pill), or in-the-moment (i.e., condoms) action. In addition to being more cost-effective in the long run, permanent birth control can also foster increased sexual spontaneity between you and your partner.
Tubal ligation surgery is often the best option for women who know for certain that they don’t want any or more children in the future. Women who shouldn’t become pregnant for specific health reasons may also consider this permanent birth control procedure.
It may also be the right option if you’re in a stable relationship in which both you and your partner have agreed to permanent birth control — but your partner doesn’t want to undergo a vasectomy (male sterilization surgery).
However, the procedure may not be a good choice if you doubt whether you might want children in the future or if you may have other partners who could change your perspective on the subject.
If you don’t like the idea of undergoing a surgical procedure — or if you aren’t fully certain you won’t want more kids in the future — long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) are an excellent alternative solution.
These birth control devices are implanted in your body, where they remain in place and work to prevent pregnancy for several years at a time. Even better, they’re 99% effective at preventing pregnancy — just like tubal ligation surgery. LARC options include:
An IUD is a tiny T-shaped device that keeps sperm out of your uterus. Progestin-releasing IUDs (which also prevent ovulation) can stay in place for three to eight years while copper-emitting IUDs (which also repel sperm) work for up to 12 years.
A birth control implant is a thin, matchstick-sized rod that’s inserted in your upper arm. It releases progestin in a controlled manner, and prevents pregnancy for up to five years.
Whether you’re certain you’d like to prevent pregnancy indefinitely — or you’re thinking a non-surgical LARC option may be a better match for your needs, we can help.
Our team performs minimally invasive gynecological surgeries, including tubal ligation, on an outpatient basis. We also offer several in-office procedures, including the placement and periodic maintenance (replacement or removal) of IUDs and implants.
To learn more, call or click online and book an appointment at New Beginnings OB/GYN in Shenandoah, Texas, today.