Who can be sterilised?
Almost any woman can be sterilised - and every year thousands of women choose to have the operation. However, surgeons are more willing to do it for women who are over 30 and who have had children. As of 2001, at least two million British women have been sterilised - making this one of the most popular methods of contraception in the UK.

How do you go about getting sterilised?
You should contact your GP. Most good doctors will want to discuss this issue with you in depth, as it is something that should be considered very carefully indeed. The doctor should tell you about the operation, and about the associated risks. Also, most important, he or she should make it clear that sterilisation is not quite 100 per cent effective against pregnancy.

Your GP will refer you to a gynaecologist, either privately, or under the NHS. Some clinics in the family planning field also offer a sterilisation service. These include the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (tel: 08457 30 40 30) and Marie Stopes clinics (tel: 0845 300 0212).

Do women regret being sterilised?
You have to accept that once you are sterilised, you cannot have any more children. You also have to consider whether you are absolutely sure of your decision and will not regret it at a later stage of your life. Nowadays, many women have more than one relationship or marriage, and it has become quite common for a sterilised woman to later want another baby if she has a new man in her life. There is an operation to reverse sterilisation, but no one should opt to be sterilised believing it can be reversed, as the results of reversal are still not very good. Also, it may be difficult to get a reversal done on the NHS.

What is done in the operation?
If you are certain of your decision, the operation itself is fairly simple. The Fallopian tubes (where the egg is fertilised by the sperm) are blocked by the surgeon in one of several ways, thus making egg transportation and fertilisation almost impossible. Your periods should not be affected by the operation though it is sometimes claimed that post-sterilisation periods are heavier.

Your hormone production and libido should remain the same.

Nowadays, most sterilisation operations are conducted as day-cases. You will usually be given a general anaesthetic and the operation may well be done laparoscopically. (A few sterilisations are done under local anaesthetic.)

A laparoscope is a thin metal 'telescope' that is passed through a tiny incision in the tummy to let the surgeon see your tubes. An instrument is inserted through another small cut and this instrument places a clip or ring on each tube.

An operation where the Fallopian tubes are actually cut is less common these days. It is carried out through an incision in the abdomen or through the vagina.

Does sterilisation work immediately?
Sterilisation of women works immediately, but it's important that you're not already pregnant when the op is done. A contraceptive coil is sometimes left in the uterus till the next period in case a fertilised egg is already present in it. The woman who has carefully considered her decision and is certain that it was the right thing to do, may well report that the removal of worries about an unwanted pregnancy has given her a greater sex drive. So sterilisation can improve your sex life. And many women also report that their relationships have strengthened as a consequence of sterilisation.

What is the risk of pregnancy after sterilisation?
Please note that every now and then a woman who has been sterilised does get pregnant. The risk is estimated at one in several hundred women.

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