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Tubal Ligation vs. Essure

31K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  unssure 
#1 ·
I hate birth control. It messes with my body no matter what kind I use and I am finished with it! That brings me to deciding between a tubal and essure. I am terrified of side effects as my body is very sensitive. Does anyone have experiences to share? I would very much appreciate some insight on the matter. Thanks ladies!!
 
#2 ·
I gave the same answer in the other thread. I had a tubal and it was quick and easy and done with lasers. It's not as major surgery as it used to be. It was less then 30 minutes and with they way they do anesthesia these days I wasn't even sick from it. My insurance covered everything but $100 ( I have good insurance!)

Many people talk about this tubal syndrome. I realize this does actually happen to women but it's not from the tubal. After I had babies eveything got worse. I bled like crazy - totally out of congtrol. I felt like I was in labor when I had my period and pms was outrageous!!!! That was before the tubal.

What I really wanted was thermal ablasion and to get that you have to be totally done with babies and have sure fire birth control because if you do get pregnant you'd have to terminate because thermal ablasion removes the uterine lining. When you do that you eliminate or greatly reduce bleeding. before it, after kids, I couldn't even use a diva. I couldn't go out in public when I had my period because I bled so much. Now, I MAY empty a full diva 3 times a cycle. I can basically get by with panty shields most of the cycle. It's AMAZING!!!!

That is always my suggestion. Tubal and Ablasion. Your done with it, clean it up and move on with life!
 
#3 ·
I guess all of the possible side effects with tubals scare me. I can't find unbiased, good statistics online. My body is very sensitive to hormonal changes and if any kind of hormonal change will happen with a tubal, I don't want one. How common is that? ...How did you feel after yours, CharlieToaster?
 
#4 ·
I did the same research because I didn't want to have the "major surgery" either. I don't have a lot of support and I was worried about needing more then a weekend to recover. Yes, I did find a lot of negative stuff but realistically, if you have problems you are more apt to talk about it. There were plenty of small blurbs or people who said "had my tubes tied, never looked back, no problems."

Honestly, I had a lot of what seemed like hormonal issues like extra-sore breasts after thermal ablasion - like regular PMS for a few months. But, I also had the surgery 9 weeks post partum so the cause can go either way. A few months after the surgery I did go on Lexapro for what seemed like outrageous PMS to me. But, in reality, the outrageous PMS was really exhaustion from having a baby and a 3 year old and I hadn't gotten a good night sleep in 4 years. Lexapro evened out my seratonin so I could sleep. Literally, I was back to who I was before pregnancy within days. It was amazing. I hadn't realized how exhausted I was and how it was getting to me. I actually got of the Lexapro for the summer but had to take it again when the season's changed. I'm feeling those same symptoms again but realized it's because it was grey and snowy and I had everyone at home without a real break for 3 weeks. With the sun, It's instantly better. The reason I explain it that way is the symptoms didn't really come from the actual tubal. They were already there but I happenned to be under the great care of a doctor at the time. When he recommended the Lexapro I about punched him in the face and resisted with eveything I had because I had 2 kids to take care of. I wasn't even able to make the decison I was so far gone. He talked me into it and the rest is history. He's been an OB/GYB for 30 years and knows a lot (even let me have my natural delivery and gave me options to self induce when needed) If he'd seen it and had a basis for it he'd have said it. Beleive me, I grilled him with many, many questions during my pregnancy and all his answers came up honest and open minded.

So, with this experience, I say, the tubal doesn't cause the problems, they simply look like they do because that's a major thing done to your body when you have a million other things going on in your life.
 
#5 ·
I had an essure done just over a month ago and I'm extremely happy with it. I went in at 6:30am and was the first scheduled procedure of the day at 8:30. They wheeled me into the or after the versed was injected in my IV and all I remember was them breaking down the table and securing my arms and I woke up an hour later in recovery. Supposedly I was awake and versed makes you forget. But for all I know, I was knocked out sleeping peacefully.
I was crampy and a little out of it for less than an hour as they fed me crackers and ginger ale and they called my ex to pick me up. I went to pee before leaving and walked around wal-mart picking up my prescription and then we picked up our daughter from preschool at 12:30 that day. It was no big deal. I got a little dizzy and nauseous directly after but I attribute it to not eating since midnight the night before. Ate lunch and was totally fine, just a little crampy. Bleeding wasn't even like a normal period and lasted less than a week. I was alone with the kids(9, 5,and 2) that very night and fine to drive them to school the next day. I was given vicodin and motrin and didn't even touch the vicodin. The pain was like a period. I will say that the most painful part was needing to pee. A full bladder set off uterine cramps and that was quite uncomfortable but nothing unmanageable and obviously you learn to empty the bladder before it fills the next time.
But I'm one month out and have already had a period after and it was normal, nothing different. I am quite happy with the procedure and how well I recovered from it. In 2 more months I go back for a dye test to make sure my tubes are completely blocked and then I will be considered sterile. It's not instant gratification like the tubal but it's much easier recovery time. And that's important because I'm a single mom.
 
#6 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by justmama View Post
I had an essure done just over a month ago and I'm extremely happy with it. I went in at 6:30am and was the first scheduled procedure of the day at 8:30. They wheeled me into the or after the versed was injected in my IV and all I remember was them breaking down the table and securing my arms and I woke up an hour later in recovery. Supposedly I was awake and versed makes you forget. But for all I know, I was knocked out sleeping peacefully.
I was crampy and a little out of it for less than an hour as they fed me crackers and ginger ale and they called my ex to pick me up. I went to pee before leaving and walked around wal-mart picking up my prescription and then we picked up our daughter from preschool at 12:30 that day. It was no big deal. I got a little dizzy and nauseous directly after but I attribute it to not eating since midnight the night before. Ate lunch and was totally fine, just a little crampy. Bleeding wasn't even like a normal period and lasted less than a week. I was alone with the kids(9, 5,and 2) that very night and fine to drive them to school the next day. I was given vicodin and motrin and didn't even touch the vicodin. The pain was like a period. I will say that the most painful part was needing to pee. A full bladder set off uterine cramps and that was quite uncomfortable but nothing unmanageable and obviously you learn to empty the bladder before it fills the next time.
But I'm one month out and have already had a period after and it was normal, nothing different. I am quite happy with the procedure and how well I recovered from it. In 2 more months I go back for a dye test to make sure my tubes are completely blocked and then I will be considered sterile. It's not instant gratification like the tubal but it's much easier recovery time. And that's important because I'm a single mom.
I'm wondering why you had to go to the OR to have the Essure done? And why they gave you such strong medications.... also, it shouldn't have hurt to have to pee..

I had the Essure procedure done in April of 2008. It was in the doctor's office. They gave me a shot of IBprofen and then a numbing shot inside (that HURT more then anything else...) Then it took a little over 20 minutes for them to do both tubes. They let me watch it on the screen. I was up and walking around right after they did it. Took just regular tylenol for the next couple of days.

I will say that I do get pains every month.. I can basically tell you exactly where my tubes are. And make sure that if you do get it done, to have them test to see if you have a sensativity to Nickel.
 
#7 ·
Any updates?
I'm looking into my options for permanent birth control. I was considering Essure but i looked into the "horror stories" vs the success stories and now i'm not so sure. The horror stories are REALLY bad and now im terrified something like what those ladies had is going to happen to me. I don't exactly have the best of luck when it comes to medical (anything) going well..

What did you end up choosing? What did you experience?
 
#8 ·
Did you ever make a decision? I am thinking the same thing, with the same worries. I did see, with the Essure all the horror stories, I took it all with a grain of salt because I also saw there are 1500 claims out of over 800,000 women having it placed. I am still back and forth. My doctor was the one who recommended the Essure, he said I was a good candidate. Still need more input.
 
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