Are you still fertile, yet absolutely positive that you no longer want to have children? Does your husband hide every time you mention the word 'vasectomy'? Do you suffer from raging hormones, but worry about the side-effects of taking the pill?
If you -- like many perimenopausal women -- fit this description, you may be interested in a new permanent contraceptive device called Essure. The procedure, which can be performed right in a doctor's office, requires that the physician implant two small metal springs into the uterine tubes, where they cause scarring -- thereby blocking sperm from meeting an egg, so that conception cannot take place. The entire procedure is performed without incisions, drugs or hormones.
What’s more, an experienced gynecologist can usually finish it within 30 minutes. However, inexperience or complications may make the procedure impossible to complete, so it is imperative to find a doctor who has been certified to perform it. You can search for one in your area on Essure’s Web site.
There is a also three-month wait for the scarring process to be complete, during which time you will still be fertile. After the wait, an X-ray must be done to confirm that the process is finished and pregnancy is no longer possible. The X-ray can be uncomfortable, and is not without possible complications of its own.
So what's the alternative? Worldwide, surgical tubal sterilization is the most common form of birth control, and 50 percent of American women ages 40 to 45 have chosen it. In general, however, a tubal ligation requires a hospital outpatient visit to an operating room and the administration of general anesthesia. Two incisions are made and home recovery usually takes from three to seven days.
After the Essure procedures, women may experience some cramping, discharge , mild nausea or vomiting, and/or fainting or light-headedness during recovery.
