talk to me about tubal ligation. anyone?

[hildare]

when/ did it hurt/ what was it like emotionally?

[Storm Bride]

I don't know if it hurt when I had mine, because I had it while the OB was doing a c-section. That was also my first closure with sutures, and the improvement in mobility, and reduction in pain, from the stitches was so pronounced that I don't think I'd have noticed if there was an increase in pain from the tubal, yk? My mom had all c-sections (three) and she did say the last one, with the tubal, was slightly more painful - but it was also just before Christmas, and the probability that she did too much is pretty high!

Emotionally...I thought I'd have a hard time accepting the end of my fertility, but for me, the relief that I'd never have another c-section outweighed that. My reproductive life also ended up extending to a much older age (41) than I'd ever expected. (I had fully expected/planned to be finished having children by age 32, at the outside.) So, it was kind of relief to know I was done. There have still been some "wow - I'm done having kids" moments, and I definitely look at newborns very wistfully these days, though.

I don't know for sure if it's related to the tubal or not, but since I my period came back after dd2, my cycles have been wonky. I've had really bad PMS for about 3 days before each period, and my cycle has ranged from 21 to 35 days (my usual cycle is 25.5 days, pretty much like clockwork). However, dd2 is still breastfeeding, and I had four babies in six years, at an older age than women are usually doing that (dd1 arrived a month before my 35th birthday, and dd2 arrived 12 days after my 41st, with two others in between). My third son was stillborn at term, with an emergency section, systemic infection and long labour thrown in for good measure. It's hard to say if my hormonal whackiness is related to the tubal, and how much is just generalized exhaustion, yk?

So...not very useful, because my tubal wasn't an isolated event, but I do think it's contributed to some of my hormonal stuff. Overall, I'm relieved to be almost 100% sure that I'll never get pregnant again, though. I've reached a point where another pregnancy would scare me badly.

[hildare]

that's really good to know.  i am actually thinking of asking to have it done if we have another cesarean, during the surgery.  i didn't bother to find out yet if that was an option.  good that it is.

[Storm Bride]

I have heard that it's not as reliable if done during a c-section, but I don't know if that's true or not. I just really wanted to get it knocked out at the same time. (FWIW, my mom, sister and I all had our tubals during c-sections. Mine was only 2.5 years ago. My sister's was 8 years ago. My mom's was 41 years ago, and she was only 25. None of us has conceived since. That's anecdotal, but I think it's still effective, even during a c/s.)

[AlexisT]

They used to say that, but apparently, it's no longer true. If it ever was.

[Bokonon]

I had a tubal during my second c-section.  Recovery didn't seem any different than with my first c/s, but I had severe pre-e both times, and with the first, I was still in the hospital for 5 days on mag. sulfate, so it's hard to say!  I recovered pretty easily after both of my sections however, with very little pain after the first week.  Both of my babies were in the NICU, so I had to be very mobile once I was discharged, and it wasn't a problem.

I haven't had any regret whatsoever.  I only wanted 2 kids anyway, and after 2 very complicated pregnancies resulting in preemies, I knew that there was absolutely no way I want to be pregnant again (not to mention the potential risks to my own health if I did get pregnant again).  So when my tubal was being done during my c-section, it was a huge relief, and my husband and I even joked with my OB to make sure she did it right.  ;)  I know she doesn't want me to get pregnant again either with my history, so I feel pretty good about her competence with the procedure!

My situation is obviously different than most, but even if I had easy pregnancies I'm pretty sure I would have made the same choice.  Our family is complete with our 2 children, and my husband and I are very confident and satisfied with that.

I hope that whatever decision you make, you are at peace with it.  I know it's not an easy choice for most women.

[Alenushka]

I had mine at 32. I had increase in painfull ovarian cysts for a few years. Like 3-4 times a year one would burst instead of 1-2. I knew it could happen because I had history of them. I knew it could happen. It worth it to me. I really like the idea of effective on messy on hormonal birth control.

[hildare]

bokonon, i hadn't even thought about whether it would impact the hospital stay. 

i am so glad i asked you guys....

we are thinking if it's another c birth of having it done then, if the ob will.  i know with a c birth it's a long stay, but we were hoping of trying to leave as soon as possible, i think if i insist the ob is good with 2 days rather than 5 (what we did before, just awful).  i wonder if that would matter?

[Bokonon]

Originally Posted by hildare 

bokonon, i hadn't even thought about whether it would impact the hospital stay. 

i am so glad i asked you guys....

we are thinking if it's another c birth of having it done then, if the ob will.  i know with a c birth it's a long stay, but we were hoping of trying to leave as soon as possible, i think if i insist the ob is good with 2 days rather than 5 (what we did before, just awful).  i wonder if that would matter?

Oh no, that's not what I meant - I had to stay in the hospital because I had severe pre-e with my first, NOT because of the tubal.  I was discharged at 2 days postpartum after my c-section with tubal.

[Storm Bride]

Hildare: You should be able to get out more quickly this time. My hospital stays were 5 days, 3 days, 3 day, 2 days and 2 days. The first two day stay was with Aaron, and I was in very rough shape physically, but I practically begged to be able to go home, because I just couldn't emotionally handle being in the hospital (they put me on the maternity ward, even though he was stillborn, and all the happy families were...hard). They didn't want to let me out at 3 days with my third one, either, but I insisted (worst hospital stay of all of them), and the OB signed off on it. With dd2, they pretty much just asked if I felt up to going home, and whether I had help (dh was off work for a ffew days, and my then 16 year old son was on summer vacation), and then let me leave.

Your preferences aren't going to be the only factor, of course, but they do take them into account, ime.

[AlexisT]

This time, my OB was ok with 2 days in theory, but DS wound up under the lights for a day and I was still a little shaky 48 hours out (but I lost a lot of blood; I might've been okay if my first day hadn't been rough). I was totally ready to go by the next morning, though. No way did I need a full 4 days. 3 was about right and is apparently standard discharge time for my hospital. I had mine first thing in the morning. So if you get pushed down later in the day, I might not want to count on getting out 2 days later. I don't think the recovery time is affected that much--you're really recovering from being cut open, and the additional work on your tubes is minimal in the grand scale of things.

[EmTheWife]

I haven't had a tubal so take this with a grain of salt :), but I have assisted in 100's of tubals.

One side effect of a tubal ligation (that MDs tend to minimize IMHO) is increased pain and PMS during your menses.  Also, post-partum nurses I have spoken to feel that moms post-BTL have more recovery pain.

However, it's the most effective form of birth control! (aside from abstinence )

[sahmof2girls]

I had one done 3 years ago.  I had it done almost a year after ds was born.  It was outpatient, the pain was really just like bad menstural cramps.  Not bad at all.  The one thing that sucked was the nasuesness from the drugs...ick!  BUT I do advise you to be 110% you want it done, I am now regretting mine

[sharon71]

I just had mine done in June 2011 and in all honesty I wish i had not. I swill say the surgery went well,it was done laproscopically I had little pain and was back to my "normal" self within a day or two however within a month or so I started having some unusual issues unlike I've ever had and some issues like anxiety and depression that were mild that have worsened,I also never had PMS symptoms before but now have it pretty severely. Anyway I started doing some research several months after my tubal ligation and came across some info about Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome. and I'm pretty certain it is my issue as I have most of the symptoms and did not have them before. So with all that being said I wish I had done more research about the possible aftermaths and downfalls of the surgery.

http://www.tubal.org/symptoms_of_pts.htm

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by sharon71 

I just had mine done in June 2011 and in all honesty I wish i had not. I swill say the surgery went well,it was done laproscopically I had little pain and was back to my "normal" self within a day or two however within a month or so I started having some unusual issues unlike I've ever had and some issues like anxiety and depression that were mild that have worsened,I also never had PMS symptoms before but now have it pretty severely. Anyway I started doing some research several months after my tubal ligation and came across some info about Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome. and I'm pretty certain it is my issue as I have most of the symptoms and did not have them before. So with all that being said I wish I had done more research about the possible aftermaths and downfalls of the surgery.

http://www.tubal.org/symptoms_of_pts.htm

I was worried about this, too. I don't know how common it is, but it definitely happens. My hormones and pelvis have been so messed up for so long (due to pregnancy, breastfeeding, and nerve damage from one of my c-sections) that I have no idea what symptoms I can attribute to my tubal and what I can't, yk?

OP: I don't think I mentioned upthread, and have had another cycle since, which reminded me...I also get small amounts of what seems to be dried blood in my "egg white" discharge around the time that I ovulate. I never had it before I had dd2, so it seems quite possible that it's related to the tubal. I'm not really sure what it's all about, but it's a bit unnerving.

[Krystal323]

Well, I just had a tubal done last week, so I am still recovering, but I'll tell you what I know!

They did it laparoscopically, and clamped the tube with filshee clips instead of cutting or burning them.  It took maybe an hour, and i was on my way home less that two hours after getting there.  all i felt was the numbing stick to put in the iv.  i shook a lot from the anesthesia wearing off, but i guess that's normal?  it went away within a few hours.  i had to pump and dump one feeding's worth, which they forgot to tell me ahead of time!  (that part sucked!)  they prescribed vicodin and ibuprofin for post-op pain--neither of which i'm needing badly anymore, at four days out.  they also fixed my umbilical hernia, which is great as i've been worried about that for too long.

FWIW there is a procedure called Essure that i would have preferred to get, but my ins wouldn't cover it.  it involves placing little metal springs inside the fallopian tubes, and then waiting for your body to form scar tissue around them, blocking the tubes.  less invasive and less chance of hormonal disruptions, but it takes anywhere from 3-6 months or more to become effective.  

[tireesix]

I had mine done nearly 3 years ago now.

Yes it hurt, but I had the novasure procedure done at the same time. I don't know how women manage to have that wihtout a general cos it hurt like no tomorrow. I just couldn't see the point of having the tubal and then having to put up with periods still.......

Emotionally, I was happy, still am very happy, best thing I ever did BUT there are reasons for this. 1) I had 3 kids, 2) I was done having kids , 3) I have Ehler Danlos Syndrome and I have passed it on to all 3 kids, there was no way I was going to do it to another kid, my 7 year old is dislocating her knees already and suffers pain, my 6 year old suffers chronic pain and my 3 year old is headed that way, 4) my health deteriorated each time I had a child, I also have bipolar and suffer from psychosis, I had a scary episode after baby number 3, I get them now and again anyway but pregnancy etc seems to trigger them. It was in fact a relief to have it done. I don't feel I have in anyway 'ruined my womanhood' or 'betrayed women' etc, I have done what was necessary to protect me and my kids.

I think maybe I sound defensive, but I have come across a few women who really do not like what I have done, particularly the novasure thing, apparently I supposed to suffer periods even though I can't have kids..... Sounds odd to me......

If you think its right for you then go for it!!!!!!! I would totally look at all pros and cons in your situation. I have had docs say 'but what if you and your partner split up (we have) and your new partner wants kids? Well, I'm not going to put me and the kids at risk just cos someone wants a kid with me. The other one was 'what about if one of your children dies'?, yeah, having another baby will totally replace the one that died, honestly.......

Im happy, end of story!

[A&A]

please make sure to google "post tubal ligation syndrome" before you make this decision. 

My OB told me that vasectomies are much easier on the guy than tubals are on the woman, so my dh got a vas.