Not every woman wants children, and that’s totally fine. We’re lucky enough today to have such a variety of options available to us when it comes to our reproductive health, making permanent procedures a lot more accessible than they’ve been previously. 

For some of you, you may already have children - who are lovely and wonderful, but don’t need any more siblings! And that’s something you’re certain of, so you don’t want to take your chances with the failure rates of hormonal and non-hormonal birth control. Or maybe you’ve got a medical condition that makes taking hormonal contraceptives a no-go and again, you don’t want to run the risk of an unwanted pregnancy with non-hormonal options. 

Whichever camp you fall in, today’s episode is for you! 

Because these options are almost all irreversible, it’s something you really need to be certain of. In this episode, I’m presenting you your options and some more information (pros, cons and relevant research). Definitely investigate further before you make a decision - like I’ve said from the get-go of this series, I want to make sure you’re well informed going into conversations with professionals and before you make decisions on which route to go down.   

This episode is for you if:

• You can’t use hormonal contraceptives due to health risks (ie. blood clots, cardiovascular issues, etc.) and don’t want to use non-hormonal methods for fear of failure
• You’ve had children and you’re certain you don’t want any more children
• You don’t want children

Some things we cover in this episode:

• Tubal Ligation
• Hysteroscopic Sterilisation
• Hysterectomy
• Vasectomy (Male Sterilisation)
• The research surrounding these procedures and the effectiveness of the procedures
• Recovery times from these procedures
• Important things to think about if you’re considering a permanent procedure

Resources and References:

• Effectiveness of Tubal Ligation 
• Pregnancy after Tubal Ligation
• Ovarian hormone levels before and after tubal ligation: a systematic review and meta-analysis
• Update on hysteroscopic sterilisation
• Hysterectomy, Oophorectomy, and Endogenous Sex Hormone Levels in Older Women: The Rancho Bernardo Study
• Effectiveness of Vasectomy
• Results of 1,469 Microsurgical Vasectomy Reversals by the Vasovasostomy Study Group
• Vasectomy: AUA Guideline

Relevant episodes of The PCOS Nutritionist Podcast: 

• Season 6 Episode 4: Your Guide to Birth Control (Part 1): Hormonal Birth Control 
• Season 6 Episode 5: Your Guide to Birth Control (Part 2): Non-Hormonal Birth Control 

Links to our programs:

• The PCOS Protocol
• Eggducated