Birth Control: Surgical Sterilization

Medical Author: Barbara K. Hecht, Ph.D.
Revising Medical Author: Carolyn Janet Crandall, MD, FACP
Revising Medical Editor: William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

• Introduction to birth control
• Permanent methods of contraception - surgical sterilization
  • Vasectomy
  • Tubal ligation
  • Selective tubal occlusion procedure (STOP)
  • Hysterectomy
• Other birth control options

Introduction

If a woman is sexually active and she is fertile -- physically able to become pregnant -- she needs to ask herself, "Do I want to become pregnant now?" If her answer is "No," she must use some method of birth control (contraception).

There are a number of different ways to describe birth control. Terms include contraception, pregnancy prevention, fertility control, and family planning. But no matter what the process itself is called, sexually active people can choose from a plethora of methods to reduce the possibility of their becoming pregnant. Nevertheless, no method of birth control available today offers perfect protection against sexually transmitted infections (sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs), except abstinence.

In simple terms, all methods of birth control are based on either preventing a man's sperm from reaching and entering a woman's egg (fertilization) or preventing the fertilized egg from implanting in the woman's uterus (her womb) and starting to grow.

The direct responsibility for most of the methods of birth control that are currently available rests with the woman. However, responsibility for contraception should ideally involve the man as well as the woman. The chosen method (or methods) of birth control should thus optimally be a decision and an activity shared by both partners. The input of their health care professionals may sometimes be essential. New methods of birth control are being developed and tested all the time. And what is appropriate for a couple at one point may change with time and circumstances.

Unfortunately, no birth control method, except abstinence, is considered to be 100% effective.

Permanent methods of contraception (surgical sterilization)

Sterilization is considered a permanent method of contraception. In certain cases, sterilization can be reversed, but this is not guaranteed. For this reason, sterilization is meant for men and women who do not intend to have children in the future.

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