To date, bridging fallopian tubes is the most effective method of birth control, because after this medical procedure, pregnancy becomes virtually impossible. This method is used for those women who voluntarily refuse possible pregnancies, that is, those who no longer want to have children.
How to tie the fallopian tubes after childbirth: who is allowed
Of course, not all women can undergo this procedure. There are enough contraindications that prevent this operation. Therefore, it is easier to list cases that do not have contraindications for tubal ligation.
When a ligation operation is possible:
- When a new pregnancy and childbirth threaten the health of the patient;
- At an age close to menopause, when there is a history of severe genetic diseases;
- When a woman has two or more children and is under 35;
- In case the woman is 35 and has a child;
- When both husband and wife no longer want children.
The operation is not so difficult, because cases of complications are rare. The least traumatic laparoscopic operations. Such an operation is performed under local or general anesthesia, as the patient wants, and what the doctor recommends. The laparoscopic method is used for postpartum sterilization. Perform it 72 hours after the appearance of the baby. The fallopian tubes at this time are located in the navel, which facilitates the operation, and rehabilitation will be faster and easier.
The choice of contraception today is quite diverse. If condoms are not suitable for a couple for some reason, then the woman goes to the doctor and resolves this issue with him. One of the most radical ways to protect against unwanted conception can be called sterilization. After some time, the patients come to the gynecologist with the question: I have my tubes tied, can I get pregnant? Let's try to find answers together.
After sterilization, or tubal ligation, there are several scenarios for the development of events:
- a woman at some point realizes that she wants to regain her fertility;
- the woman is surprised by the delay in menstruation, because she does not want a child at all now and it is because of this that she chose earlier tubal ligation.
As we have already mentioned, surgical sterilization is a rather rigid method of contraception, involving surgical intervention in female body. It is believed that the procedure is almost irreversible, although there are still some chances for a future pregnancy. Usually, such contraception is resorted to by those women who already have children and no longer want to give birth. The purpose of the operation is to block the access of the egg to the uterus. She is dying.
Let's look at cases where conception nevertheless took place, despite sterilization.
This rarely happens, but still, although it is low, there is a chance.
- Technology disruption. The quality of the operation depends on the experience and skills of the specialist. If he makes even the slightest mistake, sterilization is no guarantee.
- Pipe splicing. The body quite often surprises us with its unpredictability. Spontaneous fusion may open access to the egg. And then the spermatozoa will be able to get to it.
- conception before surgery. The most unlikely reason, but it cannot be ignored. A woman could be late and come to the operation already pregnant in the early stages.
Tubal ligation during caesarean section
During childbirth, by caesarean section, many patients ask to bandage the tubes at the same time. They are not always warned that such an operation does not guarantee complete infertility. But this intervention is convenient in that it is not necessary to inject anesthesia several times, and instead of two operations, one can be performed.
After childbirth, the body is trying hard to recover. This also includes an attempt to return the pipes to their original state. The chances of overcoming tubal ligation, though small, are still there. Unfortunately, in such cases, the likelihood of an ectopic pregnancy is high. Therefore, with any delay in menstruation, even if you have had sterilization in the past, you should be examined.
How to get pregnant?
Gynecologists often hear the question: I have my tubes tied, can I get pregnant?
In this case, women are offered several ways to become a mother:
- tubal reconstruction with plasty and laparoscopy.
Laparoscopy
Pipes can be tried to "untie" only if they were tied in a knot or tied with threads. In other cases, the clearance cannot be returned, especially if part of the pipe is removed.
Plastic also allows you to return the pipes to normal. With its help, fertility increases by 50%. The earlier a woman decides to get pregnant, the greater the chance. Therefore, if you decide to have your tubes tied and are planning to have children, it is worth considering the timing as well. If the operation was performed many years ago, then complete atrophy of the organ occurs - the cilia will no longer be able to perform their function, which also leads to ectopic pregnancy. The egg will not reach the uterus.
ECO
In vitro fertilization helps women get pregnant, but the cost of the procedure is quite high.
In order for the fetus to be in the uterus, tubes are not needed. Health is the most important reproductive organ where the embryo will be implanted, as well as the hormonal background. Unfortunately, quite often IVF is not successful and the procedure has to be repeated.
In theory, this kind of fertilization looks very simple. An egg is taken from a woman's ovary, fertilized in a test tube, and then planted in the uterus, bypassing the tubes. In fact, the dressing does not interfere with the process. In practice, everything is much more complicated.
- The first stage of IVF involves taking bolus doses of hormones to grow several large eggs. The process is monitored by ultrasound. They are then removed with a needle through the vagina. The procedure requires anesthesia and ultrasound control. For several days, the eggs "live" in a specially created environment. Next, they receive sperm from the future father.
- The next step will be fertilization in the laboratory. The sperm are mixed with the eggs. The resulting embryos are in the incubator. The excess is frozen. In case of an unsuccessful attempt, this reserve will be used.
- And the key point is the transfer of the fetal egg to the uterus. To do this, a woman must take hormones so that the thickness of the endometrium is sufficient for implantation.
After two weeks, you can do a pregnancy test. After the procedure, you are not allowed to get up for about an hour.
As you can see, the condition of the pipes does not play a role for IVF. No one gives guarantees for success, because the embryos may not take root.
Conclusion
Think carefully before agreeing to sterilization. If other contraception is contraindicated for you, and you no longer plan to have children, then be sure to look for a qualified specialist to perform the operation correctly. Your health in the future depends on its outcome. As we already mentioned, any mistake will lead to an unplanned pregnancy. Often, to an ectopic.
Surgical sterilization, or tubal ligation, is a radical method of contraception. Women who have chosen this path are worried about whether it is possible to get pregnant with their tubes tied. Some want to be sure that pregnancy will definitely not occur. And someone repents and thinks about how to return the ability to have children.
Can you accidentally get pregnant?
It is impossible to give an unambiguous answer to this question. Previously, it was believed that after such a procedure, getting pregnant naturally impossible. And count on a full restoration of proper operation reproductive system not worth it either.
However, sometimes a woman who, forcibly or consciously, decided on this operation, after a certain time expresses a desire to become a mother and hopes that she will succeed.
So is it possible to get pregnant after sterilization? To understand the essence of the problem, you need to understand how conception occurs.
At a certain time, the egg that has matured in the ovary breaks through the membrane and goes into the fallopian tube. During intercourse, the spermatozoa move in the same direction and, having met with the egg, merge with it. In the event of a successful development of events, a fetal egg is formed. It begins to move along the tube, reaches the uterus and there it joins the endometrium. Attached to the inner wall of the uterus, the fetus develops until the very birth.
In this chain of pregnancy, each element plays an important role. Therefore, after tubal ligation, the formation of an embryo is impossible, since the egg will die before reaching its final destination.
However, the likelihood of natural conception after surgery is rare, but still exists:
- If the technology of the operation was violated, which affected its quality;
- In the case of spontaneous fusion of the fallopian tubes, which allowed them to create a new passage for spermatozoa;
- The woman became pregnant before the operation.
From all of the above, we can conclude that natural pregnancy after sterilization is extremely rare.
Risk of ectopic pregnancy
Not all women know that if the tubes were tied during a caesarean section, then this will not give a full guarantee that a new pregnancy will not occur.
Of course, the combination of these two procedures is very convenient for both women and doctors. After all, there is no need for a second operation. However human body is able to recover quickly, and sometimes this possibility borders on a miracle from the point of view of medical theory.
Click to enlarge
Since the body of women directs all its forces to postpartum recovery, injured tubes are also included in this process. Certainly, in terms of common sense the chances that they will be able to recover, allowing the egg to advance, are negligible. But life situations prove that such an opportunity does exist. The sperm can enter the egg and fertilize it. Pregnancy will come, only it will most likely be ectopic. If it is not detected in time, then the health and even the life of a woman is in serious danger. In order to avoid such a situation, it is important to monitor menstrual cycle several years after the operation.
So, if it was decided to tie the tubes, it should be remembered that the risk of an ectopic pregnancy will increase several times. Therefore, after this surgical intervention, it is important to undergo an ultrasound examination. The doctor will be able to assess how the operation went by analyzing the degree of patency of the tube.
How to restore the patency of the pipes
For women who really want to experience the joy of motherhood, modern medicine can offer ways in which you can still get pregnant:
- Laparoscopy, plastic pipes;
Let's consider these methods in detail.
With the help of laparoscopy and tubal plasty, it is possible to restore the lumen in the fallopian tube, that is, relatively speaking, to “untie” them. But pregnancy after tubal ligation can only occur if they were tied with threads or tied in a knot.
If during the operation part of the organ was removed, then laparoscopy will not help.
Is it possible to get pregnant with ligated tubes if the patency is restored with the help of plastic surgery?
In this case, the probability of natural conception after the operation will be less than 50%. And that's still a pretty good indicator. The time factor affects the success of the procedure. If the pipes were tied not so long ago, then the chances of getting pregnant increase.
However, the more time has passed since the surgical intervention, the more the cilia will atrophy. And this means that even with the complete restoration of patency, conception will not occur. This is due to the fact that the fertilized egg will not be able to move through the tube.
Will IVF help
Is it possible to get pregnant after sterilization with IVF?
If a sterilized woman really wants to get pregnant, the modern IVF procedure (in vitro fertilization) can help her in this matter.
In order to get pregnant using this method, tubes are not needed at all. For the process to be successful, you need a healthy uterus, good doctors, luck and a certain amount of money: this procedure, unfortunately, is expensive.
From the point of view of theory, the IVF method is very simple. An egg is removed from a woman's ovary, fertilized in a test tube, and then implanted in the woman's uterus. However, its practical implementation is very complex and consists of several stages.
Consider the steps that you need to go through so that the long-awaited pregnancy occurs.
Stage 1. "Superovulation"
Considering that normally one egg cell matures in a woman per month, the task of doctors is to increase its number as much as possible. To achieve the desired result, a woman takes strong hormonal preparations. They stimulate the ovaries to "superovulate".
Such hormone therapy is called IVF protocols. There are several types of them. For each woman, depending on the state of her reproductive system and age, an individual protocol is selected. How the eggs mature is assessed using ultrasound.
Stage 2. Extraction of the egg.
After the eggs have grown to the desired size, they must be retrieved. To do this, the ovary is punctured through the vagina with a special needle, collecting mature eggs. This stage is carried out under anesthesia and under the supervision of ultrasound. The resulting eggs are placed in a special environment for several days. At this time, the sperm of the future father is taken.
Stage 3. Fertilization.
This stage is carried out in the laboratory, where the presence of future parents is not necessary. The most commonly used method is when spermatozoa are added to a container with eggs. This process is similar to natural fertilization.
Once an egg is fertilized, it is considered an embryo. For several days, the embryos are in incubators, where embryologists make sure that their development occurs correctly. To eliminate the risk of possible hereditary and genetic diseases, appropriate diagnostics can be carried out at this stage.
If there are enough viable embryos, they can be frozen and used a second time if necessary.
Stage 4. Placement of the embryo in the uterus.
Since the probability of successful attachment of the embryo to the uterus depends on the thickness of the endometrium, a woman takes special hormonal preparations before implantation that stimulate its growth.
After this stage, the woman should not get up for an hour. After 2 weeks, she can take the long-awaited pregnancy test.
So, can a woman get pregnant with her tubes tied with IVF? The answer in most cases will be positive. But do not forget that the risk of death of transplanted embryos is high. Therefore, in this case, a 100% guarantee cannot be given.
Of course, the birth of children should be desired and planned. And all sane married couples understand this, choosing various means contraception. However, you should not try to solve the issue once and for all, resorting to such serious operations as sterilization. After all, it is quite possible that after a while you will have to regret it very much and make a lot of efforts and material costs to correct the current situation.
You don't want to have kids anymore, but you're fed up birth control pills, changing the hormonal background and providing Negative influence on the body? Don't like sex with a condom? There is a way out of this situation. This is sterilization. Compared to the amounts spent on the regular purchase of contraceptives, this method is quite cheap. As for safety, there are no side effects inherent in hormonal contraceptives. The method has many advantages and one, but very significant disadvantage - irreversibility. That is, having decided on voluntary sterilization, you, in fact, will never be able to have children again, and you need to be mentally prepared for this. However, despite doctors' assurances, get pregnant after sterilization, both male and female is still possible. How big is this probability?
Pregnancy after male sterilization
If a man decides to be sterilized, then most likely he already has children. The operation takes only 15 minutes, complications are almost impossible, no hormonal changes occur and the man continues to feel like a man. In the case of an incorrectly performed operation, and this is not excluded in any field of medicine, pregnancy after intercourse with a sterilized man can occur with a probability of only 0.2 percent. In addition, to prevent pregnancy, barrier methods of contraception should not be neglected during the first 10 sexual intercourses after surgery, and three months after surgery, it is necessary to pass a spermogram - an analysis confirming the absence of spermatozoa.When deciding on sterilization, one cannot discount the likelihood of any changes in personal life. For example, remarriage. There is still a minimal chance for the surgical restoration of male fertility, but it makes sense to perform these manipulations only in the first five years after the ligation of the seminal ducts. Therefore, in order to give yourself the opportunity to feel again in the role young dad, you should donate sperm to the appropriate bank before the operation. Frozen sperm in the future can be used as a material for IVF.
Chances of getting pregnant after female sterilization
Unlike men, who usually choose to be sterilized for their own reasons, women are often sterilized for medical reasons. These are contraindications to childbirth and pregnancy, genetic and mental abnormalities. However, as with male sterilization, there are minimal chances of getting pregnant. Statistical data allow us to say that a 100% guarantee is possible only in the first two years after sterilization. The degree of reliability also depends on the way in which the patency of the fallopian tubes is disturbed. For example, the use of clamps and clips most often leads to unwanted pregnancy. However, this method has, though small, but still chances to regain the lost reproductive function through a second operation. The most reliable methods are the dissection of the tube and unipolar coagulation. However, any doctor will confirm that there is a 9.5% chance of pregnancy after tubal ligation.Going to the hospital for the implementation of such a radical method of family planning, you should pay attention to some age pattern. So, for the fair sex under the age of 30, this type of contraception is not recommended due to the increased risk of pregnancy. Moreover, pregnancy can be both intrauterine and ectopic. It is best to resort to sterilization only after 34 years, when the chance of getting pregnant decreases. In addition, there are contraindications to sterilization. This is, first of all, the absence of children, as well as hormonal and endocrinological disorders, tumors, chronic and acute inflammatory processes. Given the list of contraindications, a woman needs to bypass more than one doctor's office before the operation. And the most important thing can be called the office of a psychologist. At this stage, those women who are psychologically unprepared for sterilization are eliminated. Do not forget that sterilization is surgical intervention into the body. And any intervention is fraught with complications.
You should know that female sterilization does not affect the hormonal background, does not disrupt the menstrual cycle, does not reduce female sexuality and attractiveness. However, there is still one complication - this is an increased risk of an ectopic pregnancy, which is not the best way to affect women's health. Sterilization is done, and the maternal instinct takes its toll and demands to give birth to a baby? If the patency of the fallopian tubes was broken with the help of clamps, then in this situation, you can resort to surgery to restore patency. But unfortunately, this procedure an order of magnitude more difficult than sterilization, and its efficiency does not exceed 60%. The way out of this situation is the in vitro fertilization procedure, usually used in case of infertility. However, it is not considered 100% effective either.
Before deciding on sterilization, it is worth thinking carefully about possible consequences. First of all, you can not succumb to the influence of the moment. Difficult financial situation? Beliefs? Pressure? These are not reasons to forever deprive yourself of the chance to cuddle a baby to your chest. If the decision is weighed and accepted by both spouses, then it is necessary to consult with doctors and come to a common denominator as to which of the couple will take a radical step. Often, couples who think of sterilization as the only way to prevent unwanted pregnancy, after weighing all the pros and cons, come to the choice of another method of contraception. The modern pharmaceutical market is saturated with less radical, but no less effective means.
Sterilization is the most radical and extremely effective method of contraception. It is resorted to by women who do not want to become pregnant in the future, and those who are contraindicated to bear a child. But if the situation changes, is it possible to restore reproductive function?
What is the purpose of sterilization? Pregnancy occurs if the egg leaves the ovary during ovulation, meets the sperm in the fallopian tube and then, already fertilized, descends into the uterus, where it is fixed and continues to develop. During sterilization, the fallopian tubes are made impassable (cut, stimulate the formation of adhesions, etc.), and the egg cannot enter the uterus, and the sperm cannot enter it. Sterilization is one of the most reliable methods of contraception: the chance of getting pregnant within a year is less than 1 percent.
However, this is often ectopic pregnancy(in a third of cases, and the risks increase in women who have undergone sterilization before the age of 30, and those who have chosen bipolar coagulation).
But if a woman changes her mind, if the diagnosis, which was a contraindication to carrying a child, is removed, can she get pregnant? In this case, there are two ways:
try to make the tubes surgically pattable
What should be considered when choosing between these two methods?
Age
After the age of 35, the likelihood of pregnancy decreases: ovulation occurs less frequently, egg quality decreases. Therefore, the world practice is as follows: women at this age after sterilization are shown in vitro fertilization. In the IVF protocol, the best eggs are selected, the embryos are cultured, and then those that could survive until the fifth day are transferred to the uterus. MAMA clinic uses proprietary media to increase pregnancy rates in women over 35 years of age, which help the embryos become stronger. And closer to the age of 40, androgenic priming will also be needed. Androgenic priming is hormone therapy (hormonal levels drop and drug replacement is needed). Testosterone hormone preparations contribute to the production of more eggs during the IVF program and more frequent pregnancies.
Studies have shown that up to 35 years of age, the frequency of pregnancies after IVF and surgical restoration of patency of the fallopian tubes is approximately the same. (According to the available data, tubal obstruction does not affect the effectiveness of in vitro fertilization.)