SexGoddess,
OK, you are beyond my expertise so I called one of my med school professors today and had a great chat. He is at one of the leading med schools in Germany and is generally recognized in the fertility field.
Tubal ligation is considered to be permanent although there has been limited success with reversing the procedure. Reversal should be considered only if you really want to become prgnant and then there must be close monitoring for ectopic pregnancy. The women who experience problems after the ligation have been very small in number. Somewhere under 5% but no real studies have been done. The problems are likely associated with the procedure itselfa and not the fact of having had it done. Over the years several techniques have been used. The old fashioned approach was through the abdomen with a several centimeter scar below the navel. There is a good bit of muscle to go through and internal organs are pushed around a bit. There was a period when these were done vaginally (That is when mine was done and that is a real story). This approach did lead to more complications and there was a measureable infection rate. Today, the "belly-button" technique is used. Two or three tiny scars to admit a laparascope and the tiny scalpel.
He recommends against repair unless you really want to get pregnant. If you have continuing symptoms (more than a few months), they were likely caused by the procedure, the damage is done and reversal will not correct them in any way.
Reversal is partly dependent upon the specific technique used. Some tubes are simply cut and separated. Sometimes a section has been removed. Sometimes the uterus end is turned back and tied. He is not aware of success rates in repairing these by type.
It is unusal to perform a ligation on anyone under thirty. Generally, the surgeon recognizes the possibility of life change that may result in desire for change - iffy, at best. There are, of course, mitigating circumstances that would lead one to perform a ligation on a younger woman.
Goddess, I do not know what of this is directly applicable. If you do want the reversal there are clinics that specialize in that. I suspect you are in the States and anyone working in fertility could advise you. If you are in Europe, I can get recommendations. There are a few places here in the UK but they are outside the NHS and are private pay. I do know European women often go to Switzerland for the reversal. I have never seen a patient who had had or requested referral for the reversal. As you can see, neither the decision to do the procedure nor the decision to revers should be taken lightly.
Brandye
Posted: 27 Sep 00:11
