Considering Sterilization or Tubal Ligation?
Considering Sterilization or Tubal Ligation? Having your partner receive a vasectomy is likely a safer, less risky, and more affordable permanent birth control option.
Many women who are looking for a permanent solution to prevent pregnancy consider tubal ligation, a surgical procedure that cuts or blocks the fallopian tubes to prevent fertilization of the egg. Tubal ligation is very effective and can be performed before you ever get pregnant, after childbirth, or during a C-section. It works by preventing sperm from reaching the egg through the fallopian tubes and also prevents an egg from moving from the ovaries through the fallopian tube.
Should you consider tubal ligation?
While tubal ligation is very effective against preventing pregnancy, in most cases the procedure can not be reversed. In some cases, another surgery can be performed to attempt to reverse the sterilization, but in many cases the reversal is not achieved. Additionally, there are many risks associated with tubal ligation, including damage to the bowel, bladder, or blood vessels, reactions to the anesthesia, infection post-surgery, improper wound healing, abdominal or pelvic pain, and sometimes death.
Before choosing a tubal ligation, we urge you to consider all of the risks and benefits before making a decision. Our Garden OB/GYN providers in Manhattan, Queens, and Long Island can help you make the best decision for your family and body.
Are there other options for permanent family planning?
Yes! At Garden OB/GYN, we offer many family planning options and particularly recommend that you and your family consider the male sterilization option of a vasectomy if you are looking for a permanent sterilization solution, instead of tubal ligation. A vasectomy is a permanent birth control solution that is performed on males. We typically recommend it over a tubal ligation as there is much less risk of complications with a vasectomy and it necessitates significantly less recovery time than tubal ligation. A vasectomy is just as effective as a tubal ligation, with significantly less risk: there are no known deaths from vasectomy procedures, yet nationally, several women each year die from tubal ligation complications.
How is a vasectomy performed?
At Garden OB/GYN, we have a urologist on staff, Dr. Jamshid Tehrany, who specializes in performing vasectomies with over 30 years of experience. Dr. Tehrany is able to perform vasectomies in our gorgeous new surgical center in Lake Success, NY. A vasectomy is an outpatient procedure, performed under local anesthesia, meaning that your partner or husband won’t need to be asleep for the procedure, nor will they need to stay overnight in the hospital.
During the procedure, Dr. Tehrany will carefully seal the tube that carries sperm to the semen so it is not able to fertilize an egg. The procedure typically takes 30 minutes to perform and is almost 100% effective.
After the vasectomy, your partner will be able to recover at home. Recovery typically only lasts a few days, and usually only involves some bruising and mild discomfort. If necessary, our team can prescribe over-the-counter pain medication and ice packs to ease any experienced discomfort.
Following the procedure, Dr. Tehrany will see your partner for a post-procedure visit and will then test the ejaculate about three months after the surgery to make sure no sperm are present - a marker of a successful procedure.
Should you consider sterilization as a family planning option?
Family planning is an extremely personal decision. Before you or your partner decide to move forward with a permanent birth control procedure for sterilization, it is important to make sure you truly do not wish to have any (more) children in the future and that you are aware of all the risks associated with either option. Your husband or partner can schedule a consultation with Dr. Tehrany or our urology team to learn more about vasectomies and you can schedule a consultation with one of our family planning specialists to learn more about the best options for you.
SOURCES:
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/tubal-ligation/about/pac-20388360
- https://www.emedicinehealth.com/vasectomy/article_em.htm
- https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199205213262104#:~:text=Age%20at%20Vasectomy&text=Total%20mortality%20was%20similar%20in,interval%2C%200.73%20to%201.01)
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12311950/
