Tubal Ligation question no longer, HELLO vasectomy!

[SashaBreeze]

Hello.
I have to say this pregnancy is kicking my butt. I am having to come to terms with this probably will be our last baby as I just dont think I can keep up anymore. I just do not have the energy anymore. I know, I know pregnancy hormones can wipe you out but seriously I think it is more than that. I am super looking forward to seeing/holding loving our new baby but I just feel in my heart of hearts that I am DONE after this one. This especially hit home when I was doing some long range planning for our homeschool and realized I will be just shy of 50 years old when the baby I am carrying now graduates highschool.
Is it selfish of me to want at least a few "active" years alone with my dh?

At any rate.... Have any of you ladies had a tubal ligation? Would you please tell me about your experience? As it is now all is healthy with my reproductive organs and hormones I'm really nervous that something this extreme will mess up a good thing. Truth be known I just dont know very much about it and even though I have learned a lot from google search it is just not the same as hearing first hand accounts.

Thank you all for helping me with this, It is a HUGE decision and thankfully I have many more months to think on it before hand.

[Catherine12]

When we decided we were done (and were really sure) we eventually chose for me to get the Essure procedure, which is like a tubal ligation except non-surgical (you can google it to find out more if you're interested - basically, the doctor numbs your cervix with local anesthetic, dilates it less than a cm, and uses a scope to place a coil in each fallopian tube. Over the next few months, scar tissue forms around the coil, blocking the tube. Then they do an imaging test to make sure the tubes are really blocked).

Pros: the procedure was outpatient, fairly quick and didn't require anesthesia. Recovery basically consisted of having menstrual-like cramps for a couple days. I don't feel any different now than I did before (whereas other types of birth control tend to have major side effects for me), and now I don't have to worry about birth control.

Cons: Expensive, and almost totally non-reversible. Also, it's a newer procedure (been done for about 5 years in the US, longer in Europe) so there is not great data on the long-term effects of having these coils in my tubes. Also, you have to use other birth control for the three months post-procedure when the scar tissue is forming.

I can't really give you any advice on whether or not this (or any type of permanent sterilization) is the right decision for you. For us, it was something we talked about for a year before making the decision. One major factor was that I was really unhappy with other forms of birth control I had tried. If you do well on the pill, an iud, etc., you might prefer to go one of those routes in case you change your mind - that really wasn't an option for me.

[Smokering]

Vasectomy is easier recovery and cheaper, I believe. Any reason your DH isn't doing the birth control?

[SashaBreeze]

Why? Well because I honestly had just not thought of it.

Once I read the suggestion I had a major "oh, yea duh!" kind of moment. I did my research after reading that and found a near by dr. that does them fairly cheap and has a good reputation. I presented dh with the info. At first he was very hesitant but he heard me out and in the end agreed that it really was the most logical choice for us.