Pregnancy after tubal ligation

Tubal Ligation

Tubal ligation is a medical procedure which includes severing or sealing of the fallopian tubes. This way the egg cannot be fertilized and the woman cannot get pregnant. Tubal ligation is one form of the female sterilization. There are four types of tubal ligation and they include partial salpingectomy, clipping of the fallopian tubes, tubal ligation with silicone rings and finally, electrocoagulation or cauterization.

The method is not 100% save and women must not think they cannot conceive once the tubal ligation has been performed.

Pregnancy after Tubal Ligation

Yes, women can get pregnant even they have undergone tubal ligation. This procedure is considered highly effective in prevention of undesirable pregnancy. However, there is a slight chance of pregnancy after tubal ligation. This is why women whose period is late should visit their gynecologist in order to confirm or rule out possible pregnancy.

The advantage of tubal ligation comparing to the pill is that a woman does not have to take care whether she has taken the pill the particular day or not. This procedure is especially convenient for women who are at high risk of certain complications due to usage of birth control pills.

If a woman is taking birth control pills the pregnancy may occur due to an accidental skip in taking of the pill. On the other hand, after tubal ligation the woman simply cannot be blamed for pregnancy. The explanation why pregnancy occurs when the fallopian tubes have been sealed can be explained by accidental and spontaneous reconnection of the sealed ends of the fallopian tubes. This allows the egg to be fertilized by the semen and be implanted in the uterus. The reconnection can be partial or total and it may also cause ectopic pregnancy. As a matter of fact, vast majority of pregnancies after tubal ligation are actually ectopic pregnancies.

A tubal ligation is estimated to be effective in 99% of all cases leaving a 1% of women who are actually getting pregnant even though they have undergone the procedure.

Many studies investigated the efficiency of tubal ligation. A recent study confirmed that 143 women out of 1.00 do get pregnant after the procedure. There are also cases when women change their minds and wish to become pregnant again. They may try it and succeed. Still, better option for them is to undergo a surgical procedure to reverse tubal ligation. There is no guarantee that a woman will conceive after this procedure but it definitely increases her chances.