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Many couples turn to surgical sterilization out of desperation or are talked into it because of slick advertising but later come to understand through experience this surgery was drastic and destructive.
Studies have shown a higher rate of hysterectomy/castration in the years after tubal ligation due to severe menstrual pain and bleeding. Women report and research documents some of the same adverse effects of hysterectomy/castration.
Tubal ligation is not 100 percent effective for all women. There are long-term health risks: more severe cramps, heavier and longer periods, dysfunctional uterine bleeding, painful intercourse and pelvic pain or pressure, cervical erosion, cystic ovaries, increased risk of cervical cancer and weight gain. Some women have died from cardiac failure during the inflation procedures, and others have suffered perforation of the bowel, bladder and large blood vessels.
Tubal ligation is also a risk factor for PMS. The ovaries may function poorly as a result of the disruption of blood flow to them. The pressure on women to bear most of the responsibility for sterilization has increased compared with male sterilization — a vasectomy. Please get informed and know all the risks before having a tubal ligation.
For more information about post-tubal ligation syndrome, contact HERS at www.hersfoundation.org or hersfdn@earthlink.net.
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