Permanent birth control is an option for individuals and couples who are confident they do not wish to become pregnant in the future. Both female and male sterilization procedures are highly effective methods of contraception, but they should be considered permanent and not relied upon as reversible forms of birth control.
Please note: Permanent birth control should be considered permanent. While reversal procedures exist in some circumstances, they are not always successful and should not be relied upon when making a sterilization decision.
Why Remove the Fallopian Tubes?
When permanent birth control is performed, removing both fallopian tubes (bilateral salpingectomy) rather than simply blocking or cutting the tubes may provide an additional health benefit. Many ovarian cancers are now thought to begin in the fallopian tubes, and removing the tubes may reduce the future risk of ovarian cancer.
The ovaries are left in place, so salpingectomy does not cause menopause or remove your natural ovarian hormones. It reduces ovarian cancer risk but does not eliminate it completely.
Will Salpingectomy Change My Periods?
Removing the fallopian tubes should not directly change your menstrual cycles. Your ovaries remain in place and continue to produce hormones, and your uterus still responds to those hormones and sheds its lining each month. The fallopian tubes are not responsible for regulating your periods.
Some people do notice a change in their periods after sterilization, but this is often because they stop a hormonal birth control method at the same time. In that situation, periods may become heavier, longer, or more painful because the hormonal birth control had previously been controlling those symptoms, rather than because the fallopian tubes were removed.
What if I Want to Get Pregnant in the Future?
Bilateral salpingectomy is considered permanent birth control and cannot be reversed. Because the fallopian tubes are necessary for the egg and sperm to meet naturally, pregnancy after both tubes have been removed generally requires in vitro fertilization (IVF), which allows fertilization to occur outside the body before an embryo is transferred into the uterus.
Permanent contraception should only be chosen if you are confident that you do not want to become pregnant in the future.