Getting My Tubes Tied

Updated on July 16, 2008
D.G. asks from Henrico, VA
32 answers

Is it possible to have my tubes tied now after having a baby 8 months ago. I didn't do it then because I thought my husband would have a vesectomy but it is not going to work out. He can't take the time off for appointments, procedure, and healing.

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J.P.

answers from Norfolk on

Yes it is possible. It is too bad your husband can't get it together to get the procedure for himself. It is far less invasive and the recovery time is very quick. I know some men are funny about it though. My brother-in-law refused to have it done simply because of the location of the surgury and the effect it might have on his ego. There is also less risk involved and less side effects. They can do a tubal ligation laproscopically so there is small scarring so that is good. I had my tubes tied when I had my last child but that was a c-section so they were in there anyway and it made sense for us at that point. If that had not been the case I assure you my husband would have been signed up for his own surgery. I wish you the best and good luck.

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C.B.

answers from Washington DC on

It is far easier and quicker for him to take a friday off an have a vasectomy. He would have the weekend off and back to work on monday. He would need a prior appt for the workup. This is a relatively simple procedure done in a doctor's office with minimal "recovery" time. my husband had one. Had it done in a fmaily practitioner office (11 yrs ago) got send home with tylenol and was back to work on monday.

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C.B.

answers from Washington DC on

Yes it is! Just make sure to confirm with your insurance that they will cover it. Also, fyi in case he is still willing, getting a vasectomy doesn't require as much as tubal ligation in terms of hospitalization, overall time and healing. Keep in mind that you will be limited in your ability to care for the children while you heal as well and may need help, esp with the baby since you will not be able to do heavy lifting.... With a vasectomy, you can probrably get your family doctor to give him a referral without a consultation, so then he only has the initial check-up and the actual procedure with a urologist, both less than 1 hour. In most cases, men are able to get back to work the same day. If he has cold feet about it, you could suggest he goes to that initial consultation to just get a better sense of the procedure. Either way, best wishes to you!!

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K.S.

answers from Washington DC on

yes it is possible. it is however Surgery and he will have to take some time off for YOU to heal. for him though it is not Surgery. They now have an in office procedure that is supposed to be good.
I am still waiting for my DH to do it!!! I refuse to put myself thru anything else.
GL.

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S.S.

answers from Norfolk on

It is possible to have your tubes tied now even if you had a baby 8 months ago. I had my tubes tied after having my baby five months prior to the procedure

L.C.

answers from Washington DC on

There is no reason your husband doesn't have time. He's pulling your leg!
My husband went in on a Friday and was mowing the lawn on Saturday. (Granted it wasn't a very big lawn...)

The procedure for you is long and involved - as is the recovery time.

I think your husband doesn't want to do it. You need to sit him down and figure out why. You carried and pushed 3 children out... the least he can do is put up with the discomfort for the few hours.

Good luck!

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L.V.

answers from Washington DC on

One more person saying try to get your husband to have a vascetomy. My husband did a half day of work on a Friday, we went to the urologist at noon, he spent the afternoon laying on the couch working from home and was pain free. Didn't do anything strenous over the weekend, although he felt fine. He was back at work on Monday. Unless your husband has a really crazy work schedule, I don't see how he can use that as an excuse at all. Our urologist did require a consultation appointment that lasted about 30 mins, reviewed all the risks, benefits, what would happen during the actual procedure, etc, etc and then the day of the procedure we were there for maybe one hour. If you are in the Sterling, VA area let me know, I can send you a great recommendation!

You can of course get your tubes tied, but you would need someone to drive you to the hospital and someone to help you at home for quite a few days. Most women have quite a bit of pain for a while after a tubal ligation. Good luck with your decision!

L.M.

answers from Dover on

Yes, you can get your tubes tide anytime after giving birth. My daughter was born in Dec 2006 and I had my tubes tied at the end of May 2007. There was a mix up and the paperwork was not completed to have it done while there in maternity ward anyway otherwise it would have been done the next day.

Men are such wusses!

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T.J.

answers from Washington DC on

Getting your tubes tied will required much more time on your part - Dr. appointments and healing time will be much longer than a vasectomy. Since you are a SAHM, you will need someone to come and help you out for a few days. Your husband can be in the doctors office and back to work the next day...I think he does not want to go through the procedure. I would sit down and have a talk with him. Having your tubes tied is not a simple procedure. Will he stay at home and help you recover? If so, he has time for a vasectomy!

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J.G.

answers from Washington DC on

D.,
Have you considered non-surgerical procedures or the Mirena IUD? The IUD isn't permanent but can last for 5 years. Also, wouldn't your husband have to take time off for you to have the surgery done and help you to recover?
Good luck with your decision. I've been trying to get my DH to have a vasectomy for 3 years now and finally decided I was tired of birth control pills and opted for the Mirena IUD.

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J.T.

answers from Washington DC on

Yes, you can have it done any time. I had mine done when my son was 8 years old.

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R.A.

answers from Norfolk on

Yes, just talk to your doctor to schedule the surgery.

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A.P.

answers from Washington DC on

You should be able to have your tubes tied anytime. Just check with you doctor(gyn) as to the best time.

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T.K.

answers from Washington DC on

I'm sorry, but your husband can't take the time off? You are homeschooling 2 young children and have an infant. You are the one who can't afford the time off!!!!

It is time for him to man up and be responsible to his family and not just to his job.

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C.C.

answers from Lynchburg on

I would think you can have them tied at any time. I just had mine tied about 1 month ago. it's not that bad, outpatient surgery. My child was 2 months old when I had it done. I am breastfeeding too and was scared about the whole pumping enough milk. But, my anisthesiologist said I would only have to pump once and then I was good to go. That was a huge relief... because I didn't pump enough. But, my husband wouldn't go and get a vasectomy either... oh well, I also looked into the Essure procedure... the bad thing about that is it is not "immedaite". You have to use protection for 3 months before it takes effect. I went to get that done but because of the "waiting period" I had time to think abou it and I chickened out and TA DAH!!! We had baby #4!!!! So, when it came time to really not have any more... we went for the more immediate answer.

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K.C.

answers from Washington DC on

Yes, you can have it done at any time. Many doctors won't do it at the time of birth anyway. Just make sure he knows he'll have to take time off from work for you to heal, and the healing time is longer for you. My husband had a vasectomy, and he took a few days off work, but he was up and moving around like normal the next day, he just wanted to not go to work....lol.

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L.C.

answers from Washington DC on

Girl, are you serious??? It is so much easier on the man than on the woman. I know many laddies who had such a hard time after tubes got tied with painful periods and stuff like that.Tell him no more sex till he gets it done.....I am sure he will run tomorrow.

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E.B.

answers from Washington DC on

Hi D.
My husband is a wimp about getting "fixed" too. I think it's b/c he's hoping we'll try to a boy (we have 3 little girls) in a few years.
If you're sure your done, I'd look into the Essure Procedure

http://www.essure.com

I started seriously looking into it...but, now that my baby is over a year old, things are calming down and I'm considering another child in the future.

Good luck!!

C.W.

answers from Washington DC on

Dear D.

I SOO agree with most of the ladies here...I would encourage your hubby to get a vasectomy! It is really a simple procedure. My now ex was avoiding having it done...til I told him I was prepared to do it for him! LOL

*Bourbon, rubber gloves, manicure scissors, crochet hook, lighter (to cauterize SP?), needle and thread, bandaid....*

Needless to say, he had it done, (very quickly I might add), by a doc...on a friday...back to work on monday!

Sometimes these men just need the 'right' motivation!! (or some VISUAL aids)

Hope all goes well whatever you decide!

Michele/catwalk

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J.F.

answers from Richmond on

D.,
I'm surprised to see only one other mom mentioned the Essure procedure. ( http://essure.com )
I've been looking into having this procedure done myself. I never wanted to get "cut" and had considered the Mirena IUD for a while before I discovered Essure.
The downtime with this procedure is counted in hours, not days. It's even less than a vasectomy. There's no cutting involved, can be done in a simple office visit and you can even watch on a monitor what's being done.
It's really worth looking into this sterilization option to see if it's right for you.
I haven't done all the research yet, particularly to see if it's covered by my insurance plan, but I see it as an exciting new option for women and have seriously been considering it. Do yourself a favor and check it out before you decide on tubal ligation.

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E.S.

answers from Roanoke on

Talk with your doctor. Every woman's situation is different. If you are breasfeeding your youngest, you may want to wait until you wean unless you have a significant amount of milk stored. You won't want to feed her immediately following the surgery due to the anesthesia.

Depending on your overall health, you should be able to schedule the procedure at any time. Keep in mind that having your tubes tied is major surgery. Someone will have to go to the hospital with you and be available for a few days afterward to help with your little ones.

On the other hand, a vasectomy takes just a few minutes and is even performed in a doctor's office. The recovery time is much less, and the procedure is less expensive. I would encourage you to take your hubby to the doctor with you to discuss the procedures. Make sure that he understands how much more invasive the tubal ligation will be and that he will have to take time off to help with the children. Perhaps if he has a clear understanding of what you will go through vs. what his procedure would take it will encourage him to be a little more flexible.

My hubby had his done on a Friday and was up and around--feeling almost 100% within 24 hours. Back at work on Monday--no additional problems. He never even saw the dr. again. I took a "sample" to verify the procedure had worked and dropped it off for him.

Good luck.

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A.M.

answers from Washington DC on

Hi,
Many women have their tubes tied separate from the birth experience. Check w/ your OB for the details of scheduling.Ask about differnt options as the healing time is less with a less invasive procedure-"min-lap"-a small incision on or near the belly-button. Maybe there is something even better now. Stay away from large incisions and cutting through lots of tissue. This causes more pain and longer recovery.The book Our Bodies Our Selves talks about various options.

Good luck.

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L.L.

answers from Dover on

I agree with the other posts suggesting your husband is making excuses! I had my tubes tied when I had my last c-section, but prior to that I had surgery to remove an ectopic pregnancy and I can tell you that the recovery was very painful! Not to mention that it is invasive surgery, whereas a vasectomy is NOT completely invasive!
You mentioned that you homeschool and you would probably have to take many days off! A few of my friends' husbands have had vasectomies and the recovery was easy from what I was told.
I would try to get to the REAL reason he's stalling :)

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M.C.

answers from Washington DC on

Hi D.,
Yes it is possible. I had it done last year, when my daughter was 4m. I don't know if there is a time frame if you are breastfeeding, I bottle fed from the start. My OB said that if I had a C-section they would do it at the delivery, if that's what I wanted, otherwise, they suggest waiting at least 6 weeks to give your body time to heal before another surgery. The process requires a dr. appt about a week before, lab work, the proceedure - you'll need someone with you to drive, someone home with you for your kids for a few days- you can't lift things for a couple of days, and a dr. appt a week later. I had mine done on a Friday, and had the weekend to recover. was back to work on Monday.
A suggestion that I give people considering this is to celebit (sp?) 2 months before the proceedure. The drs. are very cautious about testing for possible pregnancy before this proceedure. I know 2 ladies who went in for this only to find out that they were pregnant. 1 of the ladies had this happen 2x, so instead of stopping at 2 kids, she has 4.

M.

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K.C.

answers from Washington DC on

You can get your tubes tied at anytime. However, the time to do a vasectomy and recover is all of about one day.

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A.N.

answers from Norfolk on

Hi D.,
My best friend's gyno recommended her to get this new permanent birth control called "Essure". It is non-surgical and non reversible though. Here's is the website for more information www.essure.com
My best friend loves it!
Best of Luck!

=) Lissa

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J.Z.

answers from Washington DC on

Yes, you can still get your tubes tied after having a baby at anytime.

J. Z.
Shaklee Independent Distributor
www.shaklee.net/Z.
Get $ 100.00 worth of FREE products, offer ends soon!

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D.T.

answers from Charlottesville on

My fourth child was born May 24th and I had my tubes tied that July as an out-patient surgery... that was 18 years ago. Just be certain you are done... there have been times I wished I could have had another... my husband left & had a baby with another woman. I was 36. Later there were two men (26 and 38) neither had had children of their own... and I couldn't offer them that...

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K.F.

answers from Washington DC on

Yes, you can have it done now and it does not have to be a major surgery either. You can have your tubes cut/tied through a laparatomy, that's how I did it. It was two very small insisions and I was up and moving in a couple days, back to my normal self within 2 weeks.

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J.H.

answers from Richmond on

I'm not trying to be rude here, but I think your husband is probably being a sissy. It takes a half hour to perform a vasectomy, and he can be back to work the very next day. Meanwhile, you are at home with three children, one of whom is completely reliant upon you everyday, and trying to homeschool. The recovery from having your tubes tied is more painful and takes much longer, and you'd probably need to call in someone to help you with the children for several days at the very least (or your husband would need to take off work anyway, unless he's planning on letting you take three children to the hospital while you have your surgery, or letting you go all alone). If I were you I would tell him that it is his responsibility and that he needs to make the time. You have been through childbirth three times - isn't that enough?

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J.F.

answers from Richmond on

Dear D.,
In answer to your question, I do believe it's not only possible, but quite frequently done! I am a grandmother of three little ones under two (2 of my 4 grown children are their parents), but I had my own tubes tied 23 1/2 years ago with my youngest.
Though mine were tied at the time of my son's birth, the OB/GYN said that it could be done later, too; he simply advised me to get it done at the same time as my caesarean since I was already going to be opened up.
Though these words from my OB/GYN came to me many years ago, I am presuming that there hasn't been a change in this advice. Hope this helps!
Blessings!
J.

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E.T.

answers from Washington DC on

Sure you can, but it is major surgery. There is a non-surgical procedure now that you may want to look into.

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