Posted 9th October, 2014
For years, my husband and I thought that our family was complete. We had my two boys from a previous marriage and our one daughter together. She was born in August 2006 and in October 2006 we decided to have my tubal ligation completed as it was presented as a safe and “easy” form of birth control.
In the next seven years, I suffered medical issue after medical issue when I was relatively healthy previously. I had no idea what was happening to me but felt like I was “falling apart in my old age”. At the time of my tubal ligation, I was only 32!
In early 2013, I stumbled across some websites that spoke to PTLS (Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome) and a light bulb just went off. It listed 45 possible symptoms and I presented 36!
Symptoms after tubal ligation
1. Hot flashes, flushes, night sweats and/or cold flashes, clammy feeling, chills
2. Bouts of rapid heart beat – diagnosed with SVT
3. Irritability
4. Mood swings, sudden tears
5. Trouble sleeping through the night (with or without night sweats)
6. Irregular periods; shorter, lighter periods; shorter cycles – 19 days apart on average
7. Loss of libido
8. Dry vagina
9. Crashing fatigue – Chronic Fatigue
10. Anxiety, feeling ill at ease
11. Feelings of dread, apprehension, doom
12. Difficulty concentrating, disorientation, mental confusion
13. Incontinence, especially upon sneezing, laughing; urge incontinence – I had mesh surgery to try to correct in 2012
14. Itchy, crawly skin
15. Aching, sore joints, muscles and tendons
16. Increased tension in muscles
17. Breast tenderness
18. Decrease in breast mass
19. Headache change: increase – migraines for the first time in my life
20. Gastrointestinal distress, indigestion, flatulence, gas pain, nausea, Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
21. Sudden bouts of bloating
22. Depression – requiring the use of anti-depressants
23. Exacerbation of existing conditions – Raynauds became worse (only medical issue prior to tubal ligation)
24. Allergies developing or increasing – Chronic sinusitis
25. Nasal infections-necessitating antibiotics
26. Weight gain
27. Hair loss or thinning, head, pubic, or whole body; increase in facial hair
28. Dizziness, light-headedness, episodes of loss of balance
29. Changes in body odor
30. Electric shock or stabbing sensation under the skin
31. Tingling in the extremities
32. Gum problems, increased bleeding
33. Bad taste in mouth, change in breath odour
34. Changes in fingernails: softer, crack or break easier
35. Stabbing pains in pelvic area at time of ovulation
36. Pelvic Pain
PTLS: A real problem for me
I tried to speak to my local medical professionals in Canada and all stated that PTLS was not a “real” syndrome and that none of my issues were related to my tubal ligation. I was not convinced.
Finally, tired of being sick and tired (literally!) all the time, my husband and I decided to schedule an appointment with Dr. Monteith to have my tubal ligation reversed to see if it would be the miracle we were looking for.
We drove all the way from Ontario, Canada to have our surgery because after much research, we came to the conclusion that he is the absolute best at what he does. And we were not disappointed!
I experienced almost immediate relief to many of my symptoms following my surgery. Out of the 36 issues I had, I really don’t have any now! My periods immediately returned to normal (28 days apart), my anemia went away, I was weaned off of the anti-depressants and am currently taking NO medication.
View Larger Image »At the time of the surgery, my husband and I decided as well that our “end-game” was not necessarily a pregnancy but if that it occurred, it would certainly be “icing on the cake”. I had my surgery in September 2013 and we delivered a beautiful, healthy baby-girl in September 2014.
Now our family is complete and all of my children have the healthy, 40 year old mom they deserve!
Thank you so much to Dr. Monteith and staff. You are all my heroes. You treated me like a queen when I was there. You answered all of my questions before and after promptly. You provided continued support through your open and closed Facebook groups. And most importantly, you made me “myself” again. We can never thank you enough.
Patient age: 40
Tubal ligation type: Tubal clips (clamps)
Patient hometown: Ontario, Canada
More Information About Symptoms After Tubal Ligation
