1 of 15

Gettyimages.com/doctor appointment

When I hear women talk about getting their tubes tied, they can be very casual about it. One friend who has already had three children before the age of 30 has joked that, for her next birthday, she just wants to get her tubes tied—as if it’s something she could do after champagne and before her cake. When you hear that term “tubes tied,” it sounds like a doctor just wraps your fallopian tubes up into a neat little bow, that he can always untie later, should you decide you want children again. But having one’s tubes tied isn’t the light, relaxed procedure that it sounds like. A lot of women realize that only after letting their hopes get too high, taking a couple of hours to visit their doctor, and hearing it firsthand from their physician. We can save you some time and delusion: here are things women should know about getting their tubes tied.

Gettyimages.com/Nurse handing doctor surgeon operating room OR staff surgical tool assisting performing doing surgery surgical procedure in operating room theater sterile clean professional hospital environment as a group team together careful healthcare dressed in scrubs uniforms gowns precaution protection with patient in background

First, they aren’t tied

The fallopian tubes are not actually tied. The accurate term is tubal ligation. The tubes can be cut, clamped, or even burned. There are various methods the doctor may use, depending on what he believes is right for your body, but tying is not one of them. Typically either damaging or obstructing the tubes is the chosen method.

Gettyimages.com/female doctor

Or, there’s Essure

If you prefer a non-surgical procedure, there is a new option called Essure. In this method, the doctor goes in through the vagina with a coil that causes the tubes to scar up. It’s very new, however, and the FDA is calling for more research on it.

Gettyimages.com/Pregnant African American woman sitting by window

You may still get pregnant

The body wants to do what the body wants to do. Your fallopian tubes can grow back together or develop a new pathway. All your body needs to become pregnant is for sperm to meet an egg, and if your fallopian tubes come back together, that can very well happen.

Gettyimages.com/Surgeon putting on latex glove.

The reversal is invasive

You should be absolutely certain that you won’t want children in the future before damaging your tubes. The reversal is quite invasive, as the doctor will need to go back in and remove the ring or clip blocking the tubes.

Gettyimages.com/couple looking at money

The reversal is expensive

By the way, having the procedure reversed can cost anywhere between $5,000 and $9,000. So, again, be certain you’re totally done having children because reversal is far more expensive than simple condoms or other forms of birth control would have been.

Gettyimages.com/African female doctor comforting patient

Not all doctors say yes

Your doctor doesn’t have to say yes. Many doctors, in fact, refuse women who are in their twenties, believing that they’re impulsive and may change their mind later about having kids. They sometimes also turn down women who are fresh off a bad divorce, believing their pain is influencing their decision and they could meet another partner down the line and want children.

Gettyimages.com/View of multi-ethnic diverse operating room staff doctors surgeons nurses assisting performing doing surgery surgical procedure in operating room theater sterile clean professional hospital environment as a group team together careful healthcare dressed in scrubs uniforms gowns precaution protection making incision cut blade knife surgical tools on patient

Some suggest total removal

Some doctors recommend the complete removal of the fallopian tubes. This is the most effective in preventing pregnancy, and reduces the chances of ovarian cancer. This procedure, naturally, cannot be reversed.

Gettyimages.com/Menstrual protection

You’ll still menstruate

It would be nice to say goodbye to periods when you say goodbye to part or all of your fallopian tubes, but that simply isn’t the case. Your ovaries still work, and your lining of your uterus still sheds, so you will still get a period.

Gettyimages.com/Change of the cesarean scar dressing ,2 days after the intervention

If possible, have it done with a c-section

The best way to have your tubes tied is during a c-section. Once your doctor is already in there (remember, he’ll open you up for a c-section the same way he would for tubal ligation), he can easily perform both procedures.

Gettyimages.com/man on bed

Or, have him get a vasectomy

Your doctor might strongly suggest that your partner just get a vasectomy, if you have a stable partner. It’s far less intrusive since the organs worked on in the procedure are outside the man’s body. It’s also more effective.