# Women Dopers - Permanent Birth Control?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-dopers-permanent-birth-control/284592>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [January 13, 2005, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-dopers-permanent-birth-control/284592 "2005-01-13T20:07:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![taxi78cab](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47c2d/32.png) [@taxi78cab](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/taxi78cab)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-dopers-permanent-birth-control/284592/21 "2005-01-14T17:01:22Z")

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For those of you who had TLs or other permanent methods done when you were \<30 and childless, how hard was it to find a doctor willing to do them? I know my GP is of the mindset that “you’ll change your mind someday.” If/when I decide I really want to have it done, does anyone have any recommendations for finding a doctor willing to do it on a young, childless patient? Thanks!

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**Author:** ![Jillyvn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecb155/32.png) [@Jillyvn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jillyvn)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-dopers-permanent-birth-control/284592/22 "2005-01-14T17:24:40Z")

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> [@taxi78cab](#):
>
> For those of you who had TLs or other permanent methods done when you were \<30 and childless, how hard was it to find a doctor willing to do them? I know my GP is of the mindset that “you’ll change your mind someday.” If/when I decide I really want to have it done, does anyone have any recommendations for finding a doctor willing to do it on a young, childless patient? Thanks!

Taxi, I contacted my local birth control advocacy group and they had a list of doctor’s willing to perform the surgery on women under 35. If you have no luck finding a doctor, since they are usually reluctant, I would contact your local chapter of planned parenthood, your local women’s centre or the local pro-choice advocacy group.

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**Author:** ![Oy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bc8723/32.png) [@Oy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oy)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-dopers-permanent-birth-control/284592/23 "2005-01-14T18:25:07Z")

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> [@taxi78cab](#):
>
> For those of you who had TLs or other permanent methods done when you were \<30 and childless, how hard was it to find a doctor willing to do them? I know my GP is of the mindset that “you’ll change your mind someday.” If/when I decide I really want to have it done, does anyone have any recommendations for finding a doctor willing to do it on a young, childless patient? Thanks!

I was 26 and childless when I had my tubes tied. All they made me do was talk to a psychiatrist for an hour and have him bless the fact that yes, I knew what I was doing and I really wanted this. It also didn’t cost me one single penny - not for any of it. But this was some 22 years ago, and Kaiser Permanente was magnificent back then. I left California that same year and haven’t had Kaiser since, but I’ve always thought longingly back on the medical coverage I had in those days. Long past, I’m afraid. ☹

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**Author:** ![taxi78cab](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47c2d/32.png) [@taxi78cab](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/taxi78cab)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-dopers-permanent-birth-control/284592/24 "2005-01-14T18:39:09Z")

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Thanks for the info \*\*Oy! \*\*and **Rebekkah**.

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**Author:** ![35340](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/8baadc/32.png) [@35340](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/35340)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-dopers-permanent-birth-control/284592/25 "2005-01-14T19:09:03Z")

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> [@Rebekkah](#):
>
> thanks to my ridculously vagina

Now I have to know what the missing word was.

Ticklish?

Buttery?

Alien?

FWIW, yes, you can still get ‘correctly’ and ‘incorrectly’ pregnant after a tubal. I know of many stories I’d heard multi-hand of tubal pregnancies, and I have heard of one woman whose child managed to not only get itself created, but plant itself correctly in the uterus.

Tubal vs “the snip”. Tubal has a much better reversal rate, because when you get the snip, everything backs up, heats up, and shuts down. Defunct factory. Most tubals only shut down the highway.

As for regretting it later, I found this bit online:

[http://www.advancedfertility.com/tubalreversal.htm](http://www.advancedfertility.com/tubalreversal.htm)

> [@](#):
>
> Pelvic endometriosis or any scar tissue in the area of the tubes or ovaries would be expected to reduce the chances for success after tubal reversal surgery. However, IVF pregnancy rates are generally not affected by these conditions. Therefore, IVF is probably a better option in women with significant endometriosis or pelvic scar tissue.

Good luck.

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**Author:** ![Jillyvn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecb155/32.png) [@Jillyvn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jillyvn)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-dopers-permanent-birth-control/284592/26 "2005-01-14T19:22:58Z")

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> [@Mynn](#):
>
> Now I have to know what the missing word was.
> 
> Ticklish?
> 
> Buttery?
> 
> Alien?

LOL! The word I intended was sensitive, but I like buttery much more!

> [@](#):
>
> As for regretting it later, I found this bit online:
> 
> Pelvic endometriosis or any scar tissue in the area of the tubes or ovaries would be expected to reduce the chances for success after tubal reversal surgery. However, IVF pregnancy rates are generally not affected by these conditions. Therefore, IVF is probably a better option in women with significant endometriosis or pelvic scar tissue.

That is indeed very interesting. I didn’t realize that IVF was a better option for endo. Thank you.

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**Author:** ![35340](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/8baadc/32.png) [@35340](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/35340)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-dopers-permanent-birth-control/284592/27 "2005-01-14T19:26:36Z")

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No problem. I actually had this conversation with someone a while back, about why men’s sterilization is more difficult to reverse than women’s.

Which, _sigh_, makes me more inclined to think about a tubal for myself when the time comes. Then on the off chance we do change our minds, it just takes gobs of money to take care of it, rather than an act of Maude.

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