Effectiveness of Permanent Birth Control Methods

Permanent birth control methods are also called “permanent infertility” as these are certain surgical procedures that cannot be reversed. There are a lot of benefits of the permanent birth control methods for women who are not planning to have children. You should be aware of your options and it is also important to discuss these issues with your OB/GYN.

[Read: Birth Control Methods for Women]

Options of Permanent Birth Control for Women

• Tubal sterilisation – This is a method in which the fallopian tubes of women are disconnected (by blocking, severing or burning) so that the sperm does not enter the uterus for conception. It has been found to be 99 percent successful in the first year of its usage. Less than one women who have undergone this method of birth control were likely to be pregnant in the first year of their use. In the second year after the treatment, around one percent of women would get pregnant, as the fallopian tubes get joined by themselves in some cases. Only 18.5 women out of a 1000 are likely to become pregnant after tubal sterilisation over a period of 10 years.

• Fallopian tube occlusion – This involves installing a small insert in each of the fallopian tubes. This insert grows into a natural barrier within 3 months and blocks them permanently. The procedure does not require anaesthesia but that may be required depending on the procedure being used for the patient. This method is effective only after 3 months have passed after the procedure, i.e. after the inserts have grown into permanent barriers. Before that, you need to use backup contraception such as condom.

[Read: Pros and Cons of Condom as a Contraception]

The effectiveness of any method depends on other factors too such as the woman’s age. The rate of success varies from one woman to another based on these factors. For example, a pregnancy occurring after tubal sterilisation is more likely to be an ectopic pregnancy. There are 33 percent chances of this occurrence. But since the overall rate of pregnancy is so low, the term permanent birth control method is more than justified. The chances of ectopic pregnancy increase as a result of tubal litigation.

The birth control methods mentioned above help you permanently ward off the risk of unplanned pregnancy but the same is not true for the control of sexually transmitted diseases. So, you might want to continue insisting on using condoms for sexual intercourse.

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