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
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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