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Considering Sterilization?
Completely You: Peace & Wellness: Sound Body
By Mimi Zieman, MD for Completely You
: My husband and I have decided we are done having kids. Does that mean one of us should be sterilized?
: Female or male sterilization are certainly options. The advantages include very high efficacy and permanence. The disadvantages include the need for surgery -- and permanence! About 20 percent of women who are sterilized regret their decision. You may change your mind if you are: young, unmarried, change partners later in life and decide that you want another child, or are close to the end of a pregnancy (postpartum, or after a miscarriage or abortion). Sterilization is difficult and costly to reverse. One alternative is to consider having an IUD inserted. The chance of pregnancy with an IUD is about the same as after sterilization. Each carries a small risk of failure. The ParaGard IUD is good for 10 years of protection and the Mirena IUD 5 years. Either can be removed if you change your mind! They are placed in your uterus, during a routine office visit. Discuss this decision with your healthcare provider.
Mimi Zieman, MD, is the director of Family Planning and an associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. She is a Board Certified obstetrician/gynecologist specializing in gynecology and contraception. Dr. Zieman is an author of two books: A Pocket Guide to Managing Contraception for Clinicians and A Personal Guide to Managing Contraception for Women and Men.
© Studio One Networks
Comments
Paraguard
Just FYI, we got the Paraguard after baby #2, and it's been great!! We may still have more children, since I'm only 24, but wanted to space them out more, and I didn't want hormonal side effects (tried pills, shot, etc, YUCK!). If anyone wants to ask questions of someone who has had (and still has!) one, I'm willing to answer, though I may be biased cuz I've loved it!
I've got one question, if I may?
What's Paraguard? Why haven't I heard of this is another question to which you do not have to respond.
Anhata
www.familynaturally.com
Your Family's General Store, Naturally
it's a non-hormonal IUD
I can't answer your other question though.
Possible drawback to tubal ligation
At least, this is what my mother says: Within a year of having her tubes tied (at 40-42 years of age?) she went into menopause. She tells me that another friend of hers had warned her that that might happen, that "doctors say it doesn't but women say it does," and indeed it did. I get the feeling from talking to her that she wishes that she'd done something else. I have no idea how common this is or whether it would've happened anyway, but it's a possibility that may be worth investigating if you're considering the surgery.
snip snip
We knew that four children was enough for us (well, I wouldn't mind a few more if I could afford it). But told my DH that if he didn't want any more children that he needs to get the snipping. By golly, if I have to have 9 1/2 pound kids coming out of me, he can stand that! LOL! He hasn't done it yet though (waiting for an opportunity to get to the big city I guess. He knows the gal in the office here. LOL!).
Snip snip good ;)
Hubby was snipped after DS was born 15 years ago. It went great, he missed one day of work, and I will attest that intimate time is much better and spontaneous knowing we don't have to worry about more babies. Maybe TMI but if anyone reading this is bugging DH to go.....Randy says there is nothing to it and it does NOT affect performance at all...in fact, he agrees that not having to worry about pregnancy makes it that much better!
Tubal Ligation Drawbacks
This is a very big decision to make but if you have problems with birth control pills, the shots, etc, I recommend it. My doctor made me wait 1 year before he would do the procedure after I told him I was considering it, and I have no regrets. After years of trying various methods of birth control and spending a fortune on pills that made me sick, a shot that made me sicker, this seemed like the best way to go.
Drawbacks for me--my cramps are definately worse during my menstrual cycle and its much heavier. I was told by my doctor that this could happen, and it did.
My husband would not even consider it, unfortunately.
Overall, its nice not to worry about getting pregnant again. My last 2 pregnancies were high risk and there was a lot of worry. This was definately a factor in my decision.
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