Pregnancy After Tubal Ligation: What You Need to Know

Question
is it possible to get pregnant after get my tubes tied and burnt and if not can i still get that undone if i would choose to.

Answer
Dear Cindy,

Occasionally a woman still gets pregnant, despite having had her tubes tied properly. The tubes can evolve in such a way as to try to heal themselves, and sometimes a tract develops that allows egg and sperm to meet. Tubal ligation, regardless of whether the tubes are cut, burned, clipped, banded, or tied, is typically over 99% effective, meaning that about 1% of women will conceive an unplanned pregnancy after tubal ligation.

Tubal ligation should be considered an irreversible procedure. While operations are available to try to reconnect the tubes, these operations often are not successful, require a much more major surgery than the tubal ligation itself, and usually are not covered by insurance.

Several factors play a key role in the success rate of tubal ligation reversal. These include:
-the type of tubal ligation procedure originally performed
-the age of the woman at the time she seeks tubal ligation reversal (women over 40 should discuss their personal chances of achieving success with their doctor before choosing tubal ligation reversal)
-the amount of damage caused by the original tubal ligation procedure directly correlates to the possible success of the tubal reversal procedure.

Women who make the best candidates for tubal ligation reversal are those whose tubal ligations included either the removal of a small section of the fallopian tubes, or those whose tubal ligation was achieved by clips or rings placed around the tubes to prevent eggs released during ovulation from traveling through the Fallopian tubes.

Overall, success rates for tubal ligation reversal can vary from 20% to 70%.

I hope this has helped you and answered your question. I wish you well.

Brenda