Okay, there’s the Vasectomy thread, now here’s its female counterpart. Just how hard would it be for someone, say a single female, age 26 or so, with no kids, to convince a doctor to tie her tubes? A married friend got it done recently with little or no hassle although she has no kids (and doesn’t want any, obviously). If she can do it, why can’t I?
The only extenuating health circumstances I can think of are that having a baby/child/adolescent would interefere with my mental health, and I have a deep and abiding fear of pregnancy and labour.
I’d thought about that many times. I always backed out,though,and I’m glad I did.
I don’t see why not, at your age, they wouldn’t.
If they do, try another doctor.
Miss Davis-
I would really recommend you reconsider. You don’t know what they future may hold. I personally know 2 women over 35 who desperatly want kids now but didn’t at 30. It is obviously your choice but remember this ok?
-Frankie
“Mother Mercy, can your loins bear fruit forever?/Is your fecundity a trammel or a treasure?”
-Bad Religion
woman I know, past 30 with 3 children, still had to take all sorts of classes and sign forms of all sorts – I think that most doctors would hesitate if you have no children at all.
I am a redhead, you see, and I do not tempt. I insist. -Cristi
So why not get a Norplant (or IUD if hormones are a concern for you), wait 5 years, then if you feel the same, do it then?
That way, you’re reasonably covered against pregnancy, and your options are open. If you still feel the same after 30, most doctors would be agreeable to it.
Prairie Rose
If you’re not part of the solution you’re just scumming up the bottom of the beaker.
It used to be the case that women routinely had to get consent from their husbands before getting their tubes tied – all part of the general societal practice of women’s bodies not being their own. However, I had never known of a case where a man needed permission from his wife to get a vasectomy. Nowadays, any hassles you have depend greatly on the doctor. If your doctor won’t do a vasectomy because you’re too young, then that’s just that doctor’s preference. If you keep searching, I’m sure you’ll be able to find a doctor willing to do the surgery.
It’d be next to impossible.
I’ve HAD my tubes tied (and fried and cut and otherwise totally destroyed, yayayayayay Doc!) and it took me YEARS and almost dying from blood loss during pregnancy to finally convince them to do it.
I begged and pleaded. They wouldn’t do it. I showed them a past history of hemorrhage and explained that it was for my own health. They wouldn’t do it. I explained that I REALLY didn’t want kids, ever. They wouldn’t do it. I couldn’t take the pill because of what it did to my blood pressure, Depo Provera was the same, and no way was I going to endure Norplant. They still wouldn’t do it. I was 23.
I almost died with my first daughter (birth control failure, complete accident). They still wouldn’t do it.
I almost died with the second daughter (also an accident). I had a great doc. He recommended it. I got “snipped” immediately.
Single? Forget it. “You’ll find someone and want kids.” They just won’t believe that you aren’t interested.
I’m afraid I have to agree with all the previous posters, it’s really difficult to get a doctor to do it for a single woman under the age of 35 or so.
One of my friends had petitioned for YEARS . . . and finally had her tubes tied last spring . . . at the age of 38.
And . . . I’m sure you’re sure . . . but I do know quite a few women that DID change their minds . . . including one woman who did get her tubes tied . . . and then untied. She had two more children after that.
So, goes to show, you never can tell.
your humble TubaDiva
It just depends on the doctor. Some will not do it no matter what…then others will do it on the first request. My doctor did. He had no problem with it. It was my decision and he asked me if I was sure and I said yes so he did it. The only thing he said what that he hoped I would not regret my decision.
“Do or do not, there is no try” - Yoda
First of all the physician should NOT inflict his personal beliefs onto the pt. His job is to evaluate the patients maturity, suggest that she think about how reversal of the sterilization after considerable expense may only be effective 20 to 40% of the time, and have the patient return in 4 to 6 weeks.
The physician should probe and try to determine that the pt. isn’t just doing this because she is angry with her husband or significant other.
If she is firm in her convictions about not desiring children under any circumstances, then I would consider performing the sterilization procedure. Of the thousand or more that I have performed, there has been only about 3 that requested that the tubal occlusion be reversed.
To deny a serious and thoughtful female the sterilization procedure JUST BECAUSE the Dr. feels that the pt. should get married or have baby(s) or is too young, again is imposing the Dr.'s personal beliefs onto the pt. In this case he should refer the pt. to a qualified physician who is likely to perform the procedure.
Momoe, this may be only a military thing, but I did have to give permission before the doctor would do a vasectomy on my husband.
I have to say I’m really mad that doctors balk at tube-tying women under 35. Not that anyone asked my opinion, but I think trying to make that kind of decision for your patient is a relic of dark-ages mentality. If your barber refuses to tie your tubes, find. Your OB-GYN should do it without a blink if you’re over 18, or 21 at most.
C’mon, doctors do abortions without always personally thinking they are a wonderful thing. They do plenty of irreversible, or reversible-with-great-difficulty procedures all the time. Getting your tubes tied isn’t as big a deal as a bunch of other things. They used to do transorbital lobotomies all the time without exactly getting the patients consent. Jimminy krissmuss.
Any similarity in the above text to an English word or phrase is purely coincidental.