Pregnant After Tubal Ligation

There have been instances where a woman has been greatly surprised to find she is pregnant after tubal ligation has been performed. Considering the description of the surgery, it isn’t hard to feel completely secure in the impossibility of getting pregnant. Tubes are cut, cauterized, and tied so that an egg getting into the fallopian tubes and being fertilized seems impossible. However, there is always a tiny chance that a woman can become pregnant after tubal ligation.

What is commonly referred to as “having your tubes tied” is a surgical procedure during which a woman’s fallopian tubes may be blocked, tied, cut, or a combination of these methods. Tubal implants may also be used where small metal springs are placed in each tube so that scar tissue grows around the springs and blocks the tubes. This procedure is performed without the need for surgery. The purpose of any of these procedures is to prevent the egg from traveling from the ovaries into the fallopian tubes where it can come into contact with sperm and be fertilized.

Why is it Possible to Become Pregnant After Tubal Ligation?

Tubal ligation is considered a permanent form of birth control and should only be considered if you are 100% certain you will not want to conceive in the future. There are a few different reasons that you might find yourself pregnant after the procedure has been performed although there is only a slight risk. Only five in one thousand women become pregnant within one year following the procedure, with eighteen of one thousand becoming pregnant within ten years. Pregnancy may occur for the following reasons:

• The fallopian tubes may grow back together. Additionally, there is a possibility that a new passage may form to allow an egg to become fertilized by sperm. Some methods of tubal ligation are more effective for preventing tubes from growing back together and some physicians admit that they are less likely to use the more secure methods of ligation on women they feel are not as secure in their decision to have the procedure done, or who are still at a young age.
• Although you had the procedure performed, the surgery may have not been performed correctly.
• You may have been pregnant at the time of surgery.
• If you have had tubal implants placed in the fallopian tubes, they may have been improperly placed.

If you have symptoms of being pregnant after a tubal ligation, don’t wait to call your physician. Also, you should also notify them immediately if you experience pain on one side of your lower abdomen and feel faint or dizzy. There is a much larger incidence of becoming ectopically pregnant after a tubal ligation and this can be a life threatening condition. It is imperative that you have the condition diagnosed and treated as soon as possible! Ectopic pregnancies can occur years after the procedure so you should never assume that you are safe from this occurring even after a long time has passed.

Your odds of becoming pregnant after tubal ligation even if you choose to have the procedure reversed, are very small. Before you decide that tubal ligation is the right step for you to take, you should realize that it is a permanent form of birth control and you should not rely on the procedure being reversible if you change your mind later on.