Is Permanent Birth Control Right for You?

Are you done having children? Are you sure? If so, permanent birth control may be the right option for you. Permanent birth control is more effective than most temporary methods and is the birth control method of choice for a third of all women.

The effectiveness of preventing pregnancy is one of the top reasons women consider permanent birth control. But there are other factors involved in the decision, too, so you may want to discuss your thoughts and options during your next visit at Women’s Healthcare of Princeton.  

Things to consider before permanent birth control

Permanent birth control is the second most common form of birth control. The vast majority of women are happy with their decision to be done with birth control forever. While only a small percentage of women regret their decision, it’s still important to think it through carefully.

The first step is to come to terms with is whether you’re definitely finished having children. To help you make a decision, think through these questions:

• Have you discussed permanent birth control with your partner?
• Is this decision based on your desires or your partner’s desires?
• Is your current relationship a stable one? If you’re going through a divorce or are in an unstable marriage, you may want to postpone the decision about changing your current birth control methods.
• Did you just have a child? Your hormones and emotions may be in full flux. It may be best to wait a few months for things to settle down.
• Are you young? You may change your mind later, and permanent birth control is largely irreversible.
• Do you have the number of children you’d like?

If you’re sure that your family is complete, other things to consider are:

• Are you happy with your current form of birth control?
• Are you regularly worried about getting pregnant?
• Do you want to avoid hormonal birth control?
• Would you like your sex life to be more spontaneous?
• Do you want to have worry about birth control anymore?

Permanent Birth Control Options

A survey on birth control found that the majority of women are not aware of their permanent birth control options, also referred to as sterilization. There are many pros and cons to permanent birth control. It’s important to discuss them with your healthcare professional so that you understand your options.

The two types of permanent birth control include surgical and nonsurgical.

Surgical

This type of surgery has a few names: tubal ligation, tubal sterilization, surgical sterilization, and “getting your tubes tied.” In this surgery, one of our experienced GYN’s at Women’s Healthcare of Princeton cuts, ties, or seals off your fallopian tubes so that the egg can’t travel to the uterus to meet with sperm.

Nonsurgical

During this type of procedure, called the Essure® method or hysteroscopic sterilization, our leading providers at Women’s Healthcare of Princeton, inserts small, flexible implants to block your fallopian tubes. Over the course of three months, scar tissue builds up around these inserts, permanently blocking your fallopian tubes.

Both methods of permanent birth control don’t require hormones and don’t interfere with your normal menstrual cycles or sex drive. Your ovaries continue to produce eggs, but those unfertilized eggs will never meet with your partner’s sperm. Additionally, these methods do not bring on early menopause.

If you’d like to see Dr. Maria Sophocles or Dr. Shyama Mathews , please give the office a call at 609-430-1900, or click here on the website to book yourself an appointment.