At New River Women’s Health, Dr. Campbell and her team perform minimally- invasive female sterilization procedures for women who are certain they do not want to get pregnant. When couples choose not to have children, sterilization can be a good option.
Female sterilization is a permanent method of birth control, which works by blocking a woman’s fallopian tubes. The fallopian tubes are two slender tubes which carry eggs from the ovaries to the uterus. Blocking or sealing the fallopian tubes keeps the sperm from reaching the egg; and without fertilization of the egg, pregnancy cannot occur.
You are probably familiar with tubal ligation, which is informally called “having your tubes tied.” This method of sterilization is more than 99 percent effective and lasts permanently. Your doctor uses a small abdominal incision to access your fallopian tubes and surgically block or seal them.
A newer method of sterilization uses tubal implants. You may have heard of Essure®,
one brand widely available. Tubal implants consist of tiny metal coils placed nonsurgically with a catheter in each fallopian tube. In time, scar tissue grows around each implant, permanently blocking each tube.
If you opt for tubal implants, you will need to use another form of contraception for three months while the tubes’ scarring accumulates sufficiently. Your gynecologist often will order an X-ray three months postsurgically to verify the expected scarring has taken place. Tubal implants have a slightly higher failure rate than tubal ligation and carry some safety risks.
Both tubal ligation and tubal implants have the following advantages:
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Both procedures can be performed at a clinic.
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Both types of sterilization involve no hormones.
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Unlike temporary birth control methods like oral contraceptives, these procedures typically do not affect patients’ weight and do not cause or aggravate headaches or acne.
At New River Women’s Health, board certified Dr. Sanam Campbell has been performing tubal ligation and tubal implants for many years. You can consult with her about which contraceptive method may work better for you. Please contact us at (540) 605-7566 or request an appointment online. Our team is eager to work with you on all the essential decisions and all the important stages in a woman’s life.
