Understanding Light Periods After Tubal Ligation: Causes & Concerns

Question
I am 33 Years Old My Periods are very regular every 21-24 days my last child was 10 years ago. I had my tubes tied at that time. This month my period was about 5 days late and is very lite hardly anything at all. I have all the other signs of a period sore breast, fatigue, back ache. No Way I can be Pregnant since my tubes Are Tied Can You Tell me why this happened and is it a reason for concern? Thank You

Answer
Dear Desiree,

Well, this may have simply been due to a hormonal imbalance occurring during this cycle. But you might want to take a pregnancy test just to be sure. More than likely you won't be pregnant, but you should test just in case.

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 about 99% effective, meaning that about 1% of women will conceive an unplanned pregnancy after tubal ligation. This failure occurs slightly more frequently in younger women. Since you would have only been 23 when your tubal ligation was done, you are at a slightly higher risk for this.

Make sure when you test that you use 1st morning urine to get a concentrated sample for the most accurate results. If the test is negative, then more than likely this was simply due to a slight imbalance in your hormone levels and your cycles should return to normal on their own. If your cycles continue to be abnormal or you miss a period all together, I would suggest that you see your doctor to have your hormone levels checked.

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

Brenda