Permanent Birth Control: Understanding Your Options

Tubal ligation (often called "getting your tubes tied"): In this procedure, the fallopian tubes are surgically closed, either by burning or severing and/or blocking with a clip. It is performed under general anesthesia in a hospital and can be done laparoscopically, using a telescope-like device that is inserted through a small incision in the abdomen.

With both forms of permanent birth control, the hormones that control a woman's menstruation and sexuality will not change, therefore your menstrual cycle or your desire for sex will not be affected. Your ovaries will continue to produce eggs; your body absorbs the unfertilized eggs just as it did before the procedure. These procedures will not bring on early menopause.

For him:
Permanent birth control for males is called a vasectomy. This procedure is performed in the doctor's office. The scrotum is numbed with an anesthetic, so the doctor can make a small incision to access the vas deferens, the tubes through which sperm travels from the testicle to the penis. The doctor then seals, ties or cuts the vas deferens. Following a vasectomy, a man continues to ejaculate, but the fluid does not contain sperm. Backup contraception is required until the doctor verifies that sperm are no longer present.

While more than one-third of the women surveyed say their husbands offered to have a vasectomy, many of the women found themselves waiting for the surgery to take place—in many cases, for more than five years.

Talk to your health care provider about what's right for you, and learn more about your options here.

This resource was developed with the support of Conceptus, Inc.