For families who do not want children or are finished having children, permanent family planning by sterilization is an option. There are sterilization surgeries for both men and women, and while these procedures are well established and effective, each is associated with certain risks, as with all medical procedures.
Male Sterilization
Male sterilization, or vasectomy, is a permanent procedure. Although surgical reversal is possible, it is not always successful. Vasectomy involves the surgical closing of the tubes (the vasa deferentia) that carry sperm. Vasectomy is nearly 100 percent effective in preventing pregnancy. Male sterilization is much less expensive and invasive than female sterilization.
Female Sterilization
Female sterilization, also meant to be a permanent procedure, involves closing or blocking a woman's fallopian tubes, which carry eggs from the ovary to the uterus. Along with surgical procedures, a non-surgical method for female sterilization is available, in which a thin tube is used to thread a spring-like device through the vagina and uterus into each fallopian tube, causing scar tissue to form around the coil, which blocks them. As with male sterilization, female sterilization is nearly 100 percent effective in preventing pregnancy. Reversals are complicated, expensive and not always possible.
Considerations
According to Planned Parenthood, reasons why families might choose sterilization include not wanting to have any more children, concerns about the side effects of other contraception methods, a woman's health being threatened by a future pregnancy, and not wanting to pass on a hereditary disease. Sterilization is not a good choice for families who may want a biological child in the future, and it should not be used to solve temporary problems, such as marital strife or financial worries, Planned Parenthood says.
History
Sterilization procedures in the United States were initially developed to control the birth rate among "undesirables" such as the poor, criminals and the mentally ill, according to a history provided by the University of Mary Washington. "Ironically, these sterilization procedures, namely vasectomy and tubal ligations, would become voluntary forms of birth control for millions of American families seeking to limit their numbers of children permanently."
Possible Risks and complications
Although both male and female sterilization methods are generally safe, there are some risks associated with each of them. Risks associated with sterilization procedures for both men and women include those associated with any surgical procedure, such as pain, bleeding, infection and other surgical complications. Female sterilization procedures also carry a risk of ectopic, or tubal, pregnancy. Male sterilization, according to the National Cancer Institute, has been linked with prostate and testicular cancer in some studies, although the evidence has been inconsistent.
