Some women will develop problems after a tubal ligation procedure. Many will attribute these symptoms to Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome (PTLS) and will consider sterilization reversal. Some of these women will not have PTLS but, instead will have other underlying medical conditions.
We started this series of articles for women suffering from adverse symptoms developed after a tubal ligation. We discussed the symptoms of Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome (PTLS), current medical studies about PTLS, and common medical conditions that can closely mimic PTLS. Like a long bus ride, we have expected most passengers to have exited this bus trip at each of their respective and appropriate stops after a thorough evaluation of the possible causes of their symptoms. If passengers are still riding, then the only stop left is PTLS.
In the past, the existence of PTLS has been widely debated but not agreed upon in various medical studies. The largest study to date, the CREST study, found no significant difference in the percentage of women with menstrual problems after a tubal ligation with a “control” group of women who did not have a tubal ligation. The authors of the CREST study concluded that adverse symptoms do not ocurr as a result of tubal ligation. This study, however, was not designed to study the multitude of symptoms that women report after surgical sterilization.
The end of the journey
Our experience at Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center suggests PTLS does exist for a select group of women for whom no contributing medical, psychological, or other causes have been identified. Among this group of women, the vast majority have reported dramatic improvement in their symptoms after a reversal of their tubal ligation.
We will report the stories of several of our patients (both before and after tubal ligation reversal) who have had worsening physical and psychological conditions after sterilization and who have come to us seeking tubal ligation reversal. They will share with us their symptoms and how they have fared after tubal ligation reversal (had their tubes untied).
This is the sixth article in our fourteen part series on PTLS and associated medical conditions. Our next several articles will present patients who have suffered from worsening menstrual, physical, and emotional symptoms after surgical sterilization procedures (women who had their tubes tied).
Readers can also view patient submitted stories about their menstrual symptoms, reasons for reversing tubal ligation, and outcomes after reversal reversal surgery. Each patient’s story is listed below:
Meet Momzilla
Meet Andrea
Meet Rebecca
Meet Praybelieving
Meet Katherine
Visitors may join the PTLS Forum on the Tubal Reversal Message Board to share their experiences of symptoms after tubal ligation procedures and what happened to them after a tubal reversal.
Twenty-two years ago, I was talked into getting my tubes tied after the birth of my third child. I was led to believe my life would be threatened if I had another baby, so I agreed to it. I am now 46 years old and remarried to a man who has never had a child. When he asked if it were possible for us to have a baby, my first reaction was no – I am too old. But after thinking about it, I decided to check into my options. I went to a specialist to have tests and be examined to see if my tubal ligation could be reversed. I also wanted to know if it was safe for me to have another baby. My husband also had his sperm count checked to make sure he was in good condition.
