Are You Interested in Permanent Birth Control?
When a woman has completed her childbearing, she may choose to make a decision of long term or permanent birth control. If she makes the decision of permanent sterility, she still has choices as to the procedure itself.
Permanent sterility requires a definite decision making process. She must realize that this IS a permanent decision to have no more pregnancies. One must not enter this decision lightly and know that although reversal is sometimes possible, if in doubt, she should choose another method of contraception.
Once the decision is made, she moves on to the procedure choices. Traditionally when one thinks of permanent female sterility, one thinks of a tubal ligation, or cutting of the fallopian tubes (the tubes which the eggs travel through from the ovaries to the uterus). This procedure requires anesthesia, often general anesthesia, and a small surgical incision through the abdomen. In some cases, a clear gas such as carbon dioxide is put into the abdomen to allow better visualization of the pelvic organs. Using an instrument that is inserted through the small incision the fallopian tubes are grasped and either cut and tied, or a band or clip is placed on the tubes. Any of these techniques essentially block the fallopian tubes, so the egg cannot travel through the tube and the sperm cannot reach the egg.
A newer, less invasive technique is now available to women desiring permanent sterilization. This procedure is called essure®. Essure® is a non-incisional approach to permanent birth control.
The essure® procedure places small, flexible coils, known as micro-inserts, into each of the fallopian tubes. These micro-inserts are made from polyester fibers, nickel-titanium and stainless steel. These materials are well studied and have been used in the heart and other parts of the body for many years. Once the inserts are in place, body tissue forms around them, thus blocking or occluding the fallopian tubes. This is intended to prevent the sperm from reaching the egg, thereby effectively preventing pregnancy.
Unlike the traditional, incisional methods of tubal ligation, the essure® procedure does not require an incision, there is no resulting scar and can be performed in the office without general anesthesia.
The procedure itself takes approximately 35 minutes, and we have our patients wait in the office for an additional 30-45 minutes once finished. Most women return to normal activities in 24 hours or less.
If you’re interested in the essure® method of permanent birth control, please call our office at (603) 431-6011 for a consultation appointment and we can discuss the details of this innovative procedure.