What Happens When You Get Your Tubes Tied?

You've probably heard the phrase "getting your tubes tied," if not "tubal ligation" (or "tubectomy"). This technique includes blocking or sealing a woman's fallopian tubes, preventing eggs from migrating out of the ovaries and into the uterus, and sperm from going up the fallopian tubes to the egg, so preventing conception.

What Happens During the Tubal Ligation Procedure?
What was formerly considered major abdominal surgery is now a considerably less invasive procedure that may be performed in the outpatient environment. And because the 30-minute treatment will be done under anesthetic (local, spinal, or general), you will not feel anything.

Some women prefer tubal ligation in connection with childbirth since it may be performed concurrently with a C-section or around 48 hours following a vaginal delivery. (Many surgeons prefer to perform this procedure after birth since you are already in the hospital and your abdominal wall is considerably more relaxed.) However, you may also wait and get it done later.

Gynecologists, general surgeons, and laparoscopic surgeons are often the ones who do the procedure. In the days coming up to your surgery, your practitioner may advise you to stop taking medicines that make it difficult for your blood to clot (such as aspirin and ibuprofen), and you will be instructed not to eat or drink anything for the eight hours preceding your operation.

On the day of your tubectomy, your doctor will provide a pregnancy test to ensure that you are not pregnant. During the surgery, a small incision will be created in your abdomen, generally near your belly button, and the surgeon will pump some gas into your belly before inserting a light and a small instrument through the incision to view your uterus and fallopian tubes.

Then, depending on your doctor's preference, they will block off your fallopian tubes using a clip, a ring that locks the tubes into a little kink, an incision in the tubes, or by burning a scar into the tubes (all methods are successful).

Who Should Avoid Tubal Ligation?
If you're still undecided about having additional children, you could be a better candidate for alternative kinds of birth control. While you may have heard of people having their tubal sterilizations reversed, don't get your tubes tied believing you'll be able to have the treatment reversed later; this does not work in all situations and requires a second invasive surgery.

Because tubal sterilization requires surgery, if you are obese, have chronic health concerns such as heart disease, or have had complex abdominal procedures in the past, your doctor may advise you against the procedure.

How Successful Is Tube Ligation?
Tubal sterilization is more than 99% successful. Furthermore, data suggest that tubal sterilization may reduce your chance of developing ovarian cancer. 

What to Expect After Tubal Ligation?
Because tubal ligation is a low-risk treatment, you will be able to leave the hospital the same day (just make sure you have transportation).

As with any surgical operation, minor side effects may develop. The following symptoms should resolve within a few days:

• Abdominal cramps;
• Gassiness or bloating;
• Swelling of the stomach or shoulder ache (due to the gas introduced during the surgery);
• Dizziness;
• Fatigue;
• Nausea;
• Sore throat (due to the breathing tube if general anesthesia was administered);
• Slight vaginal bleeding (if you underwent the operation after childbirth, you will experience the typical post-delivery bleeding).

Doctors typically advocate taking a day off from work to rest. Try not to touch the incision for at least one week after surgery to aid healing and prevent infection.

Your doctor will advise you on when you may resume regular activities (typically within two to five days) and have intercourse (generally within a week), although if the operation was performed directly after childbirth, you will experience the standard postpartum recovery.

When to Call Your Doctor
If you have any of the following more significant adverse effects after tubal ligation, call your doctor right away:

• Fever more than 101 degrees Fahrenheit;
• Fainting or feeling faint;
• Bleeding at the incision site that continues or worsens beyond 12 hours;
• Severe stomach discomfort that continues or worsens after 12 hours;
• Persistent or worsening drainage from the incision, whether bloody or otherwise.