Tubal Ligation
Quick Facts
Most effective
Doesn’t reduce your chances of getting an STI
Hormone free
Female sterilization
A surgical procedure
Permanent
More About Tubal Ligation
- Tubal ligation is also called “getting your tubes tied.” It’s a surgery that prevents pregnancy.
- It closes the tubes that carry eggs from the ovaries to the uterus. Since the eggs have nowhere to go, your body will just absorb them. If sperm can’t get to an egg, you can’t get pregnant.
- Tubal ligation is meant to be a permanent form of birth control.
- You can’t count on being able to get it reversed once you have it. Before you get a tubal ligation, you should be 100% sure that you never want to get pregnant.
How Tubal Ligation Works
Tubal ligation is a surgical procedure. Your provider will give you anesthesia, which will numb you. They will make an incision (cut) in your belly to get to the tubes and cut or tie them off. There are three types of tubal ligation. Your provider can tell you more about these options. Most people can go home the same day they have one. It usually takes between a few days to a week to recover.
This method is a form of permanent sterilization. Because of this, there is a 30-day waiting period before it is done. This gives clients time to be sure it is the right choice for them.
Talk to your provider if you think that this might be the right birth control method for you.
Effectiveness
Tubal ligation is more than 99% effective at preventing pregnancy. This means that less than 1 out of 100 people who have a tubal ligation will get pregnant in a year. It is one of the most effective methods. Unlike most other methods, you don’t have to do anything else after it’s done.
Benefits
- It doesn’t interrupt the heat of the moment.
- It is hormone free.
- Once you heal it will not change how sex feels.
- It works right away.
- Get it and forget it! After it’s done, you don’t have to worry about birth control again.
Side Effects and Limitations
- It’s permanent! Reversal of sterilization is expensive and does not work all the time. You should only get one if you are sure you do not want to get pregnant in the future.
- Most people don’t have problems, but any surgery has some risks. These are rare but may include bleeding, infection, and bad reactions to anesthesia.
- You should take it easy and avoid lifting heavy things for about a week.
- You should wait one or two weeks before having sex.
- There is a less than 1% chance that the tubes can connect again after surgery so you could get pregnant. In that rare event, there’s a higher-than-normal risk of an egg growing in the tubes (an ectopic pregnancy).
- It doesn’t reduce your chances of getting a sexually transmitted infection (STI).
Family PACT Coverage
If you are eligible, Family PACT covers the cost of tubal ligation. Talk to your provider to decide if tubal ligation is the best choice for you, and which kind to have.