Tubal reversal surgery can have more than one function. While most women use it to reverse their tubal ligations so they can get pregnant again, there are some women who seek it out in order to get relief. And that is not relief of any guilt feelings that some may experience upon having their tubes tied. No, it is relief of the symptoms of Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome.
What Is Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome?
Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome, or PTLS, is one of those nasty little things that happen to some women who get their fallopian tubes tied. There’s some argument as to its cause among those medical professionals who believe it exists. Perhaps the bad thing is that many medical professionals don’t believe it exists.
And that can make it hard on a woman who is suffering from several of the possible symptoms. You have excessive bleeding, longer duration bleeding, severe headaches, hot flashes, mood swings, terrible cramps bad enough to keep you in bed, and loss of libido.
Will Your Doctor Help You With Your PTLS Symptoms?
Going to your doctor to seek help won’t do you any good in so many cases. Why? Because you’re likely as not to have a doctor of the unbelieving persuasion who tells you anything from you just have to live with it to suggesting you seek a mental health professional to help you with your obviously overworked imagination. OK, I exaggerated a little with the last to make a point.
However, you might be lucky and have a doctor who will put you onto birth control pills to try and mediate your symptoms. Uh, didn’t you have a tubal ligation so you didn’t have to worry with taking pills? Sometimes they help. Sometimes not.
Or your doctor might suggest you are simply entering menopause early. Yeah, right! At 33 or even younger, you are entering menopause.
Even More Surgery to Get Rid of Your Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome
Then there’s the doctors who want to fix your Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome with surgery to remove your uterus and ovaries. Yes, we’re talking a hysterectomy here. In fact, women who have tubal ligation have a much higher chance of having a hysterectomy later than the normal population. Wow! Two surgeries to try to fix things. Too bad you don’t get two for the price of one.
Can a Tubal Reversal Help Your PTLS?
However, there is one thing you can try to relieve your PTLS and that is a tubal reversal. Since this is a tubal reversal, or more precisely a sterilization reversal, site you knew that was coming.
In one small study conducted by a leading tubal ligation reversal doctor with his patients, he found about 90% had relief from their post tubal ligation syndrome symptoms. You can find the news about the study here: http://press.tubal-reversal.net/2008/post-tubal-ligation-syndrome.html.
In another post we’ll put together a list of some of the most common tubal ligation side effects that make up Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome. In the meantime, if you are suffering from this syndrome, you may find your best option for relief lies with a tubal ligation reversal doctor.
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Why Get a Tubal Ligation Reversal?
The answer to this question is usually answered by what you see in the photo below – a baby. A tubal ligation reversal is requested by women who have had their tubes tied but, for one reason or another, now want to be able to get pregnant again. Just in case it wasn’t clear, a tubal ligation is done to prevent pregnancy. Such a surgery is usually considered a permanent sterilization procedure.
However, a woman may have changed her mind and decided she now wants to have a child. There are so many reasons for this change of heart and mind. This woman now needs to undergo a tubal reversal surgery usually done by microsurgery. It’s either that or IVF or adoption. Many choose tubal ligation after reviews the statistics, associated costs and to have a child from their own genetic material.
How Does Tubal Ligation Create Sterilization and How Does Tubal Ligation Reversal Surgery Reverse It
In a tubal ligation, the fallopian tubes are cut and then generally the ends are “tied” off which leads to some minor scarring that prevents fertilization. There are several different methods of tying your tubes and several different devices that can be used to carry out the intent of sterilization, but even to this day, the original method is the one most often used. When it’s all done, the point is to create a blockage through which neither the egg nor the sperm can transverse to cause fertilization of the egg.
In a tubal ligation reversal, the blockage is removed and the ends of the tubes reunited. An extremely small stent can also be inserted into the tube during surgery to make sure there are no obstructions before the reuniting is done. Other doctors will use a form of HSG to determine if the reconstructed fallopian tubes are clear.
Possible Problems Which May Affect Getting Pregnant after Tubal Ligation Reversal
Some problems may become apparent during the pre-op phase or during the operation that could lead to lower chances of becoming pregnant after the tubal reversal surgery.
One of these is that too much of the tubes were removed during the original procedure. A woman’s chances of becoming pregnant are greater with longer tubes. Although the probability is lowered, even women with very short tubes can have a baby. It is not a lost cause.
Another problem is that the fallopian tubes actually vary in diameter throughout their length. The doctor doing the reversal will need to be very careful about making the connection properly to be sure the egg will be able to make the journey correctly to the uterus. There are highly skilled doctors who have performed thousands of these procedures and can do the job, but it is something to be aware of.
Other factors which may impact the tubal ligation reversal surgery are the age of the patient, the length of time since the original surgery was completed, and how the original surgery was done (clips or some other method).
Can You Get a Tubal Ligation Reversal?
To answer the question point blank, yes, you can get a tubal ligation reversal. However, there are many factors to look at when considering pursuing this operation not the least of which are the factors listed above. You should also consider the tubal reversal cost, the success rates, your own situation, and the doctor you select. Consider the doctor you select for your tubal ligation reversal very very carefully.
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