What to Know if You Want Tubes Untied
Is There a Simple Procedure to Untie Tubes?
Women who have had their tubes tied and then want to get tubes untied often ask if there is a simple procedure that permits pregnancy after tubes tied. Often they envision a tubal ligation as if there is a bow tied around the tubes that can be simply untied, like one unties a shoelace. This is actually not the case. The common term “tying tubes” simplifies what is a tubal ligation - or tubal sterilization - is.
How Tubes are “Tied”
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| Tied and Cut |
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| Final Result |
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The most common type of tubal ligation involves putting a surgical ligature (or tie) around a loop of the fallopian tube and then cutting off the segment that has been ligated. The two tubal segments separate from each other. This is the Pomeroy technique, first describe by Dr. Ralph Pomery. Some doctors burn the ends of the tubes that have been cut and may use the term “modified” Pomeroy procedure in their operative report.
Another common type of ligation/resection procedure is the Parkland tubal ligation. With this techniqe, two ligatures are placed around the tube at a distance from each other and the portion of the fallopian tube in between the ligatures is resected (cut out). There are many other variations of the ligation and resection method of tubal ligation.
Tubal sterilization can also be performed by burning the tubes. This may be done with electocoagulation (coagulation, cautery, or cauterization) or with thermal coagulation. There are also variations with the coagulation methods of tubal ligation, such as the use of monopolar or bipolar coagulators, and the number of sites burned and for how long they are burned. The greater the number and the longer coagulator is applied to the tube, the greater the amount of damage.
A third method of female sterilization involves simply blocking or obstructing the tube with clips or rings. In general, these tend to cause the least amount of damage to the tube. Of all tubal ligation techniques, the tubal clip (Filshie clip or Hulka clip) is the least damaging and the one that consistenly gives the best results when the tubes are “untied” or repaired.
Essure is another new tubal sterilization procedure. This does not require surgery, but it is the least reversible method for women wanting kids after tubal ligation.
Dr. Berger’s Comment
This summary is to help women who want to get their tubes untied. The first thing to know is what tying tubes actually means. It is not as simple as placing a string around the tube that can later be untied. Contrary to what some people think, tubes don’t become untied by themselves after a certain length of time. With this basic information about the fallopian tube and tubal ligation methods in mind, I will explain how reversal of tubal ligation is done in the next topic Tubal Reversal Blog - How to Get Tubes Untied: Reverse Tubal Ligation.
April 26th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
[...] desire a pregnancy after tubal ligation. There are actually several procedures that can be used to untie tubes after the tubes have been [...]
April 26th, 2008 at 7:05 pm
This is one of the most frequently asked questions! Many women do feel that the reversal is as simple as taking a tie off of the tubes. This information will help clarify what happens during a tubal ligation.
April 27th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
This is a great starting point for women who are interested in possibly having tubal reversal surgery. Dr. Berger is truely the best in this field and it should make women more comfortable knowing that he provides so much detailed information in regards to tubal reversal surgery.
April 28th, 2008 at 6:58 am
It’s great to know that with Dr. Berger’s experience and success, he has been able to untie tubes after all of these tubal ligation techniques.
April 28th, 2008 at 11:22 am
I just love the illustrations, they along with Dr Berger’s wonderful description make the untying of fallopian tubes very easy to understand.
Thank you Dr Berger!
April 28th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
This is a great starting point for patients considering having their tubes untied. I know when I first started learning about the different sterilization techniques I found it fascinating.
April 29th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Now that Dr. Monteith has joined with Dr. Berger in the specialized field of tubal reversal surgery, even more women will have the opportunity to have their fallopian tubes untied. They are definitely the best surgeons to perform this procedure for women.
May 1st, 2008 at 11:37 am
Thank you for the explanation - this will help a lot of women to understand that “getting their tubes tied” does not usually literally mean their tubes were just tied.
May 1st, 2008 at 8:56 pm
[...] the time of cesearean delivery (c-section) or immediately after having a baby. It does involving tying the tubes with a suture - but then also cutting out a segment of healthy tube, resulting in closure of the tube as it [...]
May 2nd, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Dr. Berger’s explanation of the various ligation procedures many women have had for sterilization purposes makes the information for tubal reversal easier for patients to understand. The illustrations show the tubes tied,the ends cut or burned and then separated. However, the ends can be brought together, to be reconnected and function as a whole tube again, through tubal ligation reversal or “untying tubes”.
May 12th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
The illustrations and descriptions are invaluable to women who are trying to understand what it means to have your tubes tied and then to have a tubal reversal.