Choosing what the family is the right size, or how to make sure it stays that size, is a personal decision that many women may find it easier to make in the years to come.
For women who have determined that they do not want any more offspring and consider ready for a perpetual form of birth control, "getting your tubes tied," or tubal ligation is no longer the only choice.
A new office-based technique known as the Essure procedure is immediately replacing the previous operation and is covered by most insurance plans.
During the process, a tiny, soft spring, called a micro-insert, is deposited into each fallopian tube. The body's natural reaction produces tissue to develop into the micro-inserts, hindering sperm from accessing the egg. This tissue growth requires about three months and additional birth control should be employed during this time.
After three months, a special X-ray test confirms that the procedure is functioning.
Selecting this advanced process offers many advantages. There are no incisions, it does not contain hormones, it can be accomplished in a doctor's office with minimal anesthesia and it's permanent. The process takes about 15 minutes to finished and most women take back to normal activities within a day or two.
Over 63,000 women worldwide have previously had the procedure and clinical studies have registered high safety and patient satisfaction. After several years of a clinical study, no pregnancies have been registered when the micro-insert is positioned properly. While no technique of birth control is 100 percent effective, the method's effectiveness rate is 99.80 percent with four years of clinical data.
"We conclusively have a procedure for a woman that is comparable in simplicity, accessibility, and safety to vasectomy in men," said Dr. Barbara Levy, a national professional in endoscopic surgery practicing in Seattle. "Although the complications of surgical tubal ligation are uncommon when they occur, they may be life-threatening. The rare deaths associated with tubal ligation were unacceptable in my mind."
Another benefit for busy mothers is that the process reduces the time spent to get better from surgery.
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