If you know you and your partner are done having children or will not ever want children, permanent sterilization is a long-term, irreversible solution to prevent pregnancy without worrying about other methods.
- You may have heard of “having your tubes tied.” This refers to tubal ligation. In this procedure, the woman has her fallopian tubes cut, tied or sealed. The fallopian tubes receive an egg from the ovaries for fertilization. When the tubes are tied or sealed, sperm cannot reach the egg to fertilize it, thereby preventing pregnancy.
- A hysterectomy is another permanent and irreversible method for preventing pregnancy in a woman, though the procedure’s primary purpose is not to serve as a contraceptive.
- Lastly, not all sterilization methods are for women. Your male partner can have a vasectomy, which prevents sperm from reaching the penis.
