46: Your Guide to Birth Control (Part 3): Permanent Birth Control Procedures

Not every woman wants children, and that’s totally fine. We’re lucky enough today to have such a variety of options available to us when it comes to our reproductive health, making permanent procedures a lot more accessible than they’ve been previously. For some of you, you may already have children - who are lovely and wonderful, but don’t need any more siblings! And that’s something you’re certain of, so you don’t want to take your chances with the failure rates of hormonal and non-hormonal birth control. Or maybe you’ve got a medical condition that makes taking hormonal contraceptives a no-go and again, you don’t want to run the risk of an unwanted pregnancy with non-hormonal options. Whichever camp you fall in, today’s episode is for you! Because these options are almost all irreversible, it’s something you really need to be certain of. In this episode, I’m presenting you your options and some more information (pros, cons and relevant research). Definitely investigate further before you make a decision - like I’ve said from the get-go of this series, I want to make sure you’re well informed going into conversations with professionals and before you make decisions on which route to go down.   This episode is for you if:You can’t use hormonal contraceptives due to health risks (ie. blood clots, cardiovascular issues, etc.) and don’t want to use non-hormonal methods for fear of failureYou’ve had children and you’re certain you don’t want any more childrenYou don’t want childrenSome things we cover in this episode:Tubal LigationHysteroscopic SterilisationHysterectomyVasectomy (Male Sterilisation)The research surrounding these procedures and the effectiveness of the proceduresRecovery times from these proceduresImportant things to think about if you’re considering a permanent procedureResources and References:Effectiveness of Tubal Ligation Pregnancy after Tubal LigationOvarian hormone levels before and after tubal ligation: a systematic review and meta-analysisUpdate on hysteroscopic sterilisationHysterectomy, Oophorectomy, and Endogenous Sex Hormone Levels in Older Women: The Rancho Bernardo StudyEffectiveness of VasectomyResults of 1,469 Microsurgical Vasectomy Reversals by the Vasovasostomy Study GroupVasectomy: AUA GuidelineRelevant episodes of The PCOS Nutritionist Podcast: Season 6 Episode 4: Your Guide to Birth Control (Part 1): Hormonal Birth Control Season 6 Episode 5: Your Guide to Birth Control (Part 2): Non-Hormonal Birth Control Links to our programs:The PCOS ProtocolEggducated