Female Infertility: tubal ligation

What is tubal ligation?

Salpingoclasia, tubal ligation, or bilateral tubal obstruction; is one of the main surgical procedures for the sterilization of women. It consists of cutting, stapling, blocking, tying, or cauterizing the fallopian tubes, thereby making it impossible for the egg to move from the ovary to the uterus, in turn preventing the sperm from meeting the egg and fertilizing it.

Can a woman with tubal ligation regain the ability to have a baby?

Although tubal ligation is considered a permanent sterilization method, there are various procedures that make it possible to conceive a baby again. It will depend on the couple and medical advice to decide which is the most convenient.

What is usually the best option to have a baby with tubal ligation?

Reproduction specialists worldwide recommend In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) above any other treatment, because it is the procedure with fewer long-term complications (common in tubal reconnection surgery, for example), in addition. , the woman can maintain her tubal ligation, that is; Since fertilization occurs in a laboratory, the patient does not need to use contraceptives again and can continue to have control over her fertility when she has conceived the desired baby.

In addition to these advantages, IVF has important guarantees to result in a baby at home in a very short time:

• The risk of ectopic pregnancy is eliminated.
• It is possible to achieve pregnancy in a few weeks, while with tubal recanalization you must wait up to a year.
• It has a greater probability of success if there are other conditions causing infertility, whether on the part of the woman or the man.
• When combined with methods such as pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, it allows the detection of common genetic and chromosomal abnormalities in women over 35 years of age.

How is IVF carried out when you have tubal ligation?

As mentioned, it is carried out in a laboratory, and five basic steps are followed for the procedure:

1. Ovarian stimulation: this process lasts about 10 days during which the woman receives medications that stimulate her egg production. The administration of medications should always be monitored by an experienced reproductive specialist to avoid derived risks.
2. Egg retrieval: Here the extraction of eggs occurs using an ultrasound adapted with an attachment that has a needle that passes through the vaginal wall until it reaches the ovaries, where it sucks the follicles to obtain mature eggs.
3. Fertilization: a semen sample is processed through a technique known as spermatic training. Once the best sperm are obtained, they are placed together with the best quality eggs in a laboratory dish to allow fertilization to take place.
4. Embryo culture: when fertilized, the eggs become embryos, these are kept in special incubators within the assisted reproduction laboratory.
5. Embryo transfer: the embryos are placed inside the mother's uterus using a very fine catheter that is introduced vaginally. This technique is performed under abdominal ultrasound guidance, is painless, and takes only a few minutes.

Is there any risk from IVF when you have tubal ligation?

At the time of ovarian stimulation, it is essential that a reproductive specialist monitor the patient to avoid ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome or multiple pregnancies. They are possible risks, but they can be ruled out and easily avoided when top-level doctors are consulted.

It is important to note that once In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is completed, the patient must wait around two weeks to take a pregnancy test. It is recommended that you use a progesterone supplement administered vaginally or intramuscularly until the day of the pregnancy test and continue it for 8 to 10 weeks when the test is positive. This hormone helps thicken the lining of the uterus and therefore facilitates the correct implantation of the embryo.

However, each case is unique and so is the way it is treated. Therefore, we recommend that you go to Ingenes so that a reproductive specialist can evaluate your case and, with a timely diagnosis, recommend the appropriate comprehensive program so that you can have your baby at home.