$Unique_ID{BRK01590}
$Pretitle{Pregnancy and Childbirth}
$Title{Female Sterilization Procedure}
$Subject{sterilization tubes surgery}
$Volume{K-14}
$Log{}

Copyright (c) 1991   Tribune Media Services, Inc.


Female Sterilization Procedure


------------------------------------------------------------------------------

QUESTION:  Could you please describe the procedure a woman must have in order
to prevent further pregnancies?  I need to find a method that will give me
some assurance that my family will not continue to get bigger as I already
have 8 children.  Will you please help me?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ANSWER:  If a woman decides that she does not want any more children, she can
choose to be sterilized, which involves blocking the Fallopian tubes, the two
hollow arms on either side of the uterus.  Each month an egg moves down one of
these tubes from the ovary to the uterus, and it is within the tube that a
sperm fertilizes the egg.  If the tube is blocked or cut, the egg and sperm
are kept apart and fertilization does not take place.  Female sterilization
has no effect on hormone levels.  A sterilized woman's periods still occur
regularly until menopause.
     There are several ways to block the tubes; cutting them is only one
method.  The tubes can be shut with a small plastic clip or rubber band or a
loop of each tube can be tied off and then cut.  Another procedure uses a
small electrical device to burn a small portion of both tubes, which then heal
shut.  Sterilization can be done at any time either in a hospital or in a
clinic and may be performed right after childbirth.
     Female sterilization is a permanent and almost perfect form of birth
control.  It is called permanent because it cannot be easily reversed.  If a
woman changes her mind about the procedure, there are operations that can be
done to reconnect or open the blocked tubes, but there is no guarantee they
will work.  After sterilization, there is the possibility that the tubes can
heal and reopen and a pregnancy can occur, but there is far less chance of
this happening than of any other form of birth control to fail.
ÿ
----------------

The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace 
the counsel and advice of your personal physician.  Promptly consulting your 
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical 
problem.
