Women who are currently being treated for an STD cannot use IUDs.  You have to be free from STDs and STIs and have finished treatment for three months before you can have an IUD.

IUDs cannot be inserted in women who are pregnant.  IUDs cannot be inserted in women who have cancer or diseases in their reproductive organs. 

Some women have uterine abnormalities and cannot have IUDs.   

Women who are anemic, or who experience heavy menstrual bleeding are recommended to find an alternative method of birth control.

Women who have given childbirth should wait between 48 hours to 4 weeks before getting an IUD.  The risk for uterine perforation is higher just after giving childbirth.

Your doctor will do a pelvic exam to check for infection and abnormalities before giving you an IUD.

Truth 1:  Although pre-ejaculate contains very little sperm, sometimes it pushes sperm from a previous ejaculation out of the penis.  Although it is unlikely, you can get pregnant from pre-ejaculate.

Myth 2:  You can’t get pregnant if you’re wearing clothes.

Truth 2:  A man’s ejaculate can soak through clothing.  Clothing is not a method of birth control.

Myth 3:  You can’t get pregnant if you haven’t had a period.

Truth 3:  You can get pregnant before your first period, because you ovulate once before your first period.  This might be the time you get pregnant.

Myth 4:  The Catholic Church is opposed to birth control.

Truth 4:  Although the Catholic Church opposes birth control, some cardinals support the use of condoms to fight the spread of AIDS.  Contraception might just be a handy side effect for you.

Myth 5:  You can’t get pregnant if you have your period.

Truth 5:  You can get pregnant even if you have your period.  Sperm can stay alive in the female body for up to seven days.

Myth 6:  The pill works by destroying the egg once it has been released.

Truth 6:  The pill works by preventing the release of the egg.  For more detail, go to how hormonal contraceptives work.

Hysterectomies are high-risk surgeries, with much higher mortality and complication rates than sterilization processes.  They are often performed through a laparotomy, a large incision in the abdomen.

Hysterectomies do result in infertility, however, this function is secondary to the original reason the hysterectomies are performed.  They might be performed for cancer, or other diseases, or because of severe complications due to a birth.

When a woman has a hysterectomy, her hormonal make-up changes.  Often, estrogen levels plummet, and progesterone is changed as well.  This means that a woman’s menstrual cycle changes, and this can also affect a woman’s sexual desires.

Hysterectomies lead to bone density loss, which can lead to osteoporosis and other illnesses.

You cannot get a hysterectomy for birth control methods.  This information is simply to help you understand how hysterectomies also result in infertility, while primarily being aimed to cure other disorders.

Ask yourself the right questions before you commit to such a surgery.

The body has a natural tendency to repair itself.  In very rare cases, often less than 1% of cases, sometimes tubal sterilizations or vasectomies are reversed by the body itself.  This occurs when the body connects the parts of the vas deferens, in the case of a vasectomy, or when the body reconnects the fallopian tubes, in the case of tubal ligation.

Some methods of permanent birth control have less risk than others when it comes to that small number of unexpected pregnancies.  Ask your doctor if this is important to you.

If, after one of the couple has undergone sterilization, and pregnancy occurs, the reaction is often one of shock, dismay, or anger.  Sometimes the partners will accuse each other of infidelity.  This can be a difficult time for both partners.  The best solution is to speak to your doctor immediately to determine how fertility was regained, which will help to re-establish the bond of trust.    After this, you will have to decide how you want to deal with the unexpected pregnancy.

With incision tubal sterilization, there can be excessive bleeding at the site of the procedure.  Rarely, there can be an infection.  Infections are treated with antibiotics.

As with any surgery, there is the chance that you might have an adverse reaction the anesthetic.

Because the surgery involves some incisions, there are rare chances of damage to the internal organs, including the bladder.  These sometimes have to be treated with more surgery.

There are generally fewer side effects with non-incision sterilization, though some of the possible and rare side effects include expelling the micro-inserts, micro-inserts that were not properly placed, and even more rarely, a punctured uterus.  A punctured uterus has to be treated with further surgery.

Tubal sterilizations, both incision and non-incision, can possibly result in ectopic pregnancies.

For a complete run-down of all of the side-effects of tubal sterilization, talk to your doctor.  Each procedure varies, and has different benefits and risks.

Non-incision sterilization cannot be performed until six weeks after a birth or an abortion.  It is not immediately effective: you have to wait three months and then go for an x-ray to determine if the scar tissue has formed. 
If the x-ray shows that scar tissue is not being formed, in rare occasions, the procedure has to be performed again.

It is a safer method than incision methods because there is no general anesthesia (though there can be local anesthetic given to the cervix), no prolonged hospital stays, no incisions, and no scarring.

Recovery time with non-incisive sterilization is much faster than other methods of sterilization.  Some women resume their activities the same day as the procedure.  Other women take a day or two to get back in the swing of things.

You will be able to have sex again once you feel comfortable.

The best way to choose which type of tubal sterilization is suited for you is to speak to your doctor.  Some of the factors that your doctor will bring up include your past surgeries, which might affect your options.  Often, health and weight affect your choices for permanent birth control as well.

These incision methods of birth control can be performed through three possible types of surgery: a laparoscopy, mini-laparotomy, and laparotomy.  The first two are the most common.

With a laparoscopy, your organs are filled with carbon dioxide, a harmless gas.  The doctor makes an incision in the abdomen, and then uses a scope to locate the fallopian tubes, and then performs a method of sterilization (electrocautery, tubal ligation, etc).  Sometimes a second incision is used for the sterilization.  This procedure takes about a half an hour and can be performed at outpatient clinics.

With a mini-laparotomy, the doctor makes a small incision in the abdomen, locates the fallopian tubes, and performs the sterilization.  A full laparotomy involves a much larger incision (up to five inches).  This takes a general anesthesia, and dramatically increases the recovery time.

The recovery time for a laparoscopy or a mini-laparotomy is generally a few days.  There is no extended hospital treatment required.

Tubal sterilization does not decrease a woman’s sexual pleasure. It does not affect her hormone levels.  It does not change her femininity physically.  This is the female equivalent of a vasectomy.  However, tubal sterilizations are more costly, and a more invasive surgery.  Often, a couple will choose to have a vasectomy instead of a tubal sterilization for these reasons.

Some women are concerned that tubal ligation will affect their womanhood.  It will not bring on menopause earlier.  A hysterectomy is the operation wherein the uterus is removed, and this affects a woman’s hormones: not tubal sterilization.  You will still have your period after sterilization.  Note that if you are going off hormonal birth control pills after your sterilization, your periods will go back to the way they were before you started hormonal birth control.

Once your fallopian tubes are closed, after an egg is released from the ovaries, it will be reabsorbed into the body.  This is normal cellular practice: cells are constantly reabsorbed back into the body.

Tubal sterilizations, particularly those done by incision, can take a day or two before you resume normal sexual activity.  However, most doctors recommend you resume sexual activities when you feel comfortable.

There are varying types of tubal sterilization, which fall under the umbrella terms of incision tubal sterilization and non-incision sterilization.  Also see our pages on the risks of tubal sterilization.

You could have bruising, which will clear up on its own.

There could be swelling.  These swellings could contain blood (hemotomas) or fluid (hydrocels).  They will generally clear up in about a week with ice and rest.  See your doctor for specific treatment.

Sometimes the sperm creates a small lump (a granuloma).  This lump most often heals itself, but you should still discuss this with your doctor.

As with any operation, there is the risk of infection.  This can be cleared up with antibiotics.

Less than 1% of men find that they have decreased desire or libido.  This is not because of the operation’s physical effects, but rather, because of the psychological effects.

You will find that there is pain and tenderness at the site of the surgery.  This is most often treatable with pain medication, and will go away.  Very rarely, there is chronic or severe pain. 

Sometimes a vas deferens will reconnect where it was severed.  In this rare instance, you run the risk of pregnancy.

Go see your doctor if you have a fever, if there is excessive pain or swelling, or if there is pus or blood oozing from the site.

A vasectomy does not alter a man’s hormone levels.  It will not affect libido or sexual performance.  A man will still be able to get and maintain an erection as hard and for as long as he could prior to the operation.  A man will still come, and there will be ejaculate.  Sperm makes up very little of the semen that is ejaculated, so the texture, amount, and appearance of semen is not going to be affected.

The sperm in the body is broken down and reabsorbed.  In a man who has not had a vasectomy, only about 50% of the sperm are ejaculated, and the rest are broken down.  After a vasectomy, the glands that hold sperm expand slightly and the body accommodates by absorbing more sperm.

Vasectomies are not immediately effective. You have to first ejaculate all of the sperm that your body has previously created and stored.  This takes roughly about three months.  Once you have had three sperm-free ejaculate samples (your doctor tests this for you), then you know that the vasectomy has been successful.

There are two types of vasectomies: incision and non-incision.  Both operations take about 20 minutes.  After a vasectomy, you can take a day or two off work, and you should not perform hard physical labour for about a week.  You will able to have sex about a week after, as well.

With non-incision (or no-scalpel) vasectomies, there are often fewer complications, and fewer risks, and a shorter recovery time.  Ask your doctor which is right for you.

You might choose to have a vasectomy or tubal ligation performed if you have finished having a family and don’t want any more kids.  Or, you might decide that you don’t want to kids at all.

If your health or your partner’s health might be endangered by a future pregnancy, this is a way to permanently prevent pregnancy.

Sterilization methods are also good tools if you want to prevent passing down a hereditary illness.

You should always talk to your family about your choice.  You and your partner should agree, but neither person should feel pressured in a situation when you are making long-term, life-altering decisions. 

You need to consider as many possible futures as you can.  Would a life-changing even make you want to have children?  Would divorce, marriage, or remarriage make you change your mind?  Would you want to have another child if your child died?

If you are at risk for sexually transmitted diseases or infections, remember that you will have to use condoms for protection even if you have a vasectomy or tubal ligation.

This operation is something that you have to do for you.  If you feel pressured by someone else, then you should not be going for a vasectomy or tubal ligation.  However, you should discuss your birth control options with your partner, and seek an agreement.  Remember, the decision about surgery for your body is ultimately yours.

Choosing a permanent method of birth control will not help you solve short term problems.  If you are having marital difficulties, or short-term physical or mental illness, then these operations will not help you.  When you are dealing with a crisis, use other birth control to get you through the tough spots. 

It is not wise to get a vasectomy and freeze sperm “in case you change your mind.”  Freezing sperm doesn’t always work.  If you think you might change your mind, you should not be going through surgery for permanent birth control.

You should consider all other methods of birth control before you take on this life-altering choice.