Tubal Reversal Blog ‘sterilization procedure’

Is it PTLS or another medical or gynecologic problem?

The symptoms of Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome (PTLS) can be widespread and pervasive. Women who have problems after a tubal ligation, however, may not have PTLS. Another medical or gynecological condition may be at the root of the symptoms. The prior article in this series on PTLS reviewed medical and gynecologic disorders that may cause menstrual problems after a tubal ligation.

Over 7,000 tubal ligation reversals have been performed at Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center. We have had the opportunity to see the impact on these women whose tubes have been tied and who, having regretted that decision, have had their tubes untied.

Under what circumstances were the tubes tied?

Often, the decision to have a one’s tubes tied is made under stressful circumstances. Sometimes the decision to have the tubes untied is made under similar circumstances. The staff of Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center has compiled a list of stressful reasons women have had tubal ligations or have come to us seeking ligation reversal. Stressful circumstances under which patients sometimes have a sterilization procedure or a sterilization reversal include:

• Forced by parent or spouse
• Pressured by doctor
• Frightened by medical conditions or illness
• Mid-life crises
• Empty nest syndrome
• Infidelity
• Divorce
• Death of spouse
• Fear of birth control risks
• Decision while in poverty
• Decision during period of substance abuse
• Illness/death of close family member
• Sterilization while in an abusive relationship
• Death of a child
• Religious conversion

Regret and guilt can be powerful forces on any individual. Given the appropriate stressful circumstances these feelings can be amplified and can spread into other aspects of ones life. When decisions are made under stressful conditions, as listed above, one can easily see how this may leave a lasting sense of remorse upon any individual. The sense of remorse can be even more dramatic when the thought is suppressed and eventually emerges in the future during a stressful life event. Then consider the sense of regret and how these feeling could be increased as a person grows older and wiser when a person finds their ‘life’s match’ or if their pastor tells them they ‘violated the will of God’ by having their ‘tubes tied’.

How common is regret after tubal sterilization?

Most women do not regret their decision to have a tubal ligation. However, 1 out of 4 women will regret their decision about having their tubes tied. This was shown in the CREST Study mentioned in a previous article.

Offering Hope at Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center

The tubal ligation reversal experts at Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center help women in reversing these ‘permanent’ decisions when they are no longer the right decisions for individuals and couples. We have helped many patients come by restoring the hope of new life and the chance for some to relieve their burdens of guilt and regret.

This is the fourth article of a fourteen part series on PTLS and associated medical conditions. The fifth article, Psychological Conditions or Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome?, will address common psychological conditions that could be masquerading as Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome.

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

We invite readers to join the Tubal Reversal Message Board to discuss and share personal experiences with tubal ligation. We also invite women with post tubal ligation symptoms to join the PTLS Forum and share personal experiences with worsening physical or mental symptoms noticed after tubal ligation.

Tubal Reversal Experts

The tubal ligation reversal experts of Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center are experienced at sterilization reversal. Many women who have had their ‘tubes tied’ will come to our center to have their ‘tubes untied’. Unfortunately, a ligation reversal is not as easy as ‘untying’ the tubes- we wish the process was that simple.

We employ a microsurgical approach to repair and reattach the ends of the tubes. This process is called tubotubal anastamosis, and provides a patient with an excellent chance of becoming pregnant naturally. We specialize in ligation reversal and in reversal of difficult tubal ligation procedures.
We would like to present the story of one of our patients who had an atypical sterilization procedure.

Reversal of an Unusual Sterilization Procedure

The patient’s name is Ofralinda. She and her husband, Juan, came to us from Texas. Ofralinda is 35 and she works as an OSHA compliance officer. Her husband is in construction. Ofralinda desired a tubal ligation reversal in order to have more children. She had a rare and atypical sterilization procedure termed the Uchida procedure.

Uchida Sterilization Procedure

A Japanese physician, Dr. Uchida, first described this method of sterilization in 1961. This method involves removing a large segment of the fallopian tube and suturing (sewing) the cut end of the fallopian tube into the wall of the uterus. Dr. Uchida first published information about his method of sterilization after having performed over 50,000 procedures without any pregnancy failures. This is an effective but also  complicated method of surgical sterilization. Most modern physicians have never performed or seen a Uchida sterilization. We have seen several patients who have presented with a Uchida sterilization procedure and we have had success with reversal of this method.

Uchida Sterilization Reversal

Ofralinda had a 60-minute outpatient tubal ligation reversal. Her surgery went well. We found her tubes to be short (due to the large amount of tube removed with her initial Uchida sterilization) but otherwise healthy. We were able to successfully repair both of her fallopian tubes. She has since been discharged back to her home and we wish her well. We would like to hear a report of a successful pregnancy from her within the year.

Sterilization Reversal at Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center

We specialize in tubal ligation reversal. Our tubal ligation reversal specialists perform over 800 reversal procedures every year on women from across the world. We regularly have patients from as far away as Hawaii, Alaska, and the Caribbean. Occasionally, we will have patients from Australia, Asia, and Europe.

Most tubal ligation procedures are reversible. The pregnancy rates after reversal are generally higher than after in vitro fertilization (IVF) and we specialize in difficult tubal reversal procedures.