To consider female sterilisation..

[SuziSecondLaw]

Posting here for traffic really!

I'm so sick of birth control. Tried everything other than coils (I'm way too much of an anxious person to cope with always knowing there was this plastic thing inside me!). Currently on the mini pill, but have 4-5 week periods followed by a couple of weeks off. Been on it 15 months now. It's also killed my sex drive.

Any experiences with sterilisation/tubes tied?

6 months. There's 15 months between my third and fourth. I was told cut was better than clips as clips can come off... Ummm...
My tubes were cut again during my last section and my husband had a vasectomy (which he wouldn't do before, hence me being sterilised!). So far so good and number 4 is nearly 2 years old!

This was also the case when I requested sterilisation in the late 90s - although I think my GP blocked it because of his own views. Had a great experience with the Mirena though, didn’t hurt at any point and stopped my periods completely.

Is there any way to find out if my location still provides it on the NHS? I have a gp appointment in June to start the process so I'll obviously find out then, but just wondering if there's another way..

If you Google “NHS <your area> CCG female sterilisation funding policy” you should be able to find their document which sets out under what conditions they’ll fund it. If you do find this document then print it out and be ready to use it if your GP is difficult about referring you.

I had it done at age 37, when DC2 was 2. Surgeon called it belt and braces, ie both clips and tubes cut.
It was bliss never having to think about contraception again, no change to periods, in and out of hospital in 12 hours with just 24 hours off work.
BUT, this was 30 years ago, and it sounds as though it's much more difficult to access now. I just went to see my GP, who said "sounds like a good idea, I'll sort it", and I was in hospital and done within 2 weeks.
Refusing women access to sterilisation seems like false economy - it must be much less expensive than providing long-term contraception and maternity services.

Thank you. It's not on there for some reason, they have female and male sterilisation reversal listed as not funded, but not the actual procedure. Weird.

I went for a consultation and the Dr told me it was less effective than the pill so I decided against it.

I was recently offered sterilisation for an upcoming c section and was horrified - had no idea it was hard to get in other areas! Said
nO thank you my body’s been through enough, it’s dhs turn now, whether he’s keen or not…

I've been accepted by the CCG
funding panel and now waiting for an appt to see the specialist as none available yet. Been waiting for over 2 months so far. There is a 53 week wait for the procedure in my area.

This is absolutely appalling😡

It's so wrong, a man can choose to be sterilised but a woman can't. We really should all be writing to our MP's & campaigning to get this changed. It really shows what a crap deal women get in this country. If men had to have lumps of plastic shoved in their bodies or take hormones that caused side effects then something would be done about it.

It was so easy for me years ago, late 90s , was referred by the GP and only had to wait a month or so. There were about 20 of us all on the same day in a day unit.
It's sad that women can't have it done that easily now or maybe we were just very lucky ?
A few men I've known had vasectomies done privately as it's only a few hours and they don't need a stay.

It's a significant abdominal surgery with general anaesthesia, not a local like a vasectomy.
As an anxious person I'm really surprised that you are less worried about that than the thought of a mirena, which is reversible if you don't get on with it.
Once the surgery is done, if you struggle with the heavier more painful periods described by a pp, you are stuck with it until menopause.

It isn’t, are you thinking of a hysterectomy?

It’s classed as minor surgery.

I would never recommend a coil to anyone, mine gave me awful infections that smelled terrible 😳
The poster that pointed out that if men had to have lumps of plastic shoved inside them or had to take various hormones to avoid a pregnancy would mean something was done about it is quite correct in my opinion.
Women's health care in this country is an abomination.

OP could identify a male, the NHS & health professionals are happy to give young girls hysterectomies, but weirdly enough not grown women who don't want children.

If you are expecting female sterilisation on NHS, they will offer you other types of contraception first or contraception for the male

You cannot just demand & receive !

To receive, you have to fulfill certain criteria

Or pay private

Lol, I tried this! I had the argument with my GP after a decade of asking to be sterilised and them refusing purely because I don’t have children* and because they decided I’d change my mind as soon as I hit 30. I even asked to be referred privately and they still refused 😡.

My GP was very offended by the suggestion that if I identified as a man they’d sterilise me without a second thought. He threatened to deregister me as a patient because he considered it a transphobic statement. Bellend.

I can’t take the mini pill because high progesterone levels mean my ADHD medication doesn’t work, same for implant and mirena, I can’t have the copper coil due to a nickel allergy, and I’m allergic to latex. My only option for contraception is the combined pill which makes my nipples leak what I suspect is milk, but I deal with it because the only other thing the NHS can suggest is abstinence.

(* I don’t like kids, I don’t want kids, and I have a genetic disorder that would potentially leave any child of mine highly disabled)

I had my tubes tied. 11 weeks later I was pregnant. It sent me suicidal. I then had a miscarriage which made me spiral more.
Very very unlucky. I have also got pregnant on various other contraception which is why I went for the sterilisation in the first place!

Mirena might be reversible, but it might also cause permanent womb damage, pelvic infections etc. I don't think it's particularly odd that I'm not keen on those things. With regards to anxiety, I just know I'd constantly be wanting to check the threads to ensure it hadn't dislodged. I also don't want to undergo sterilisation as an anxious person, but it just feels like the best of a really bad bunch of options.

I would love to have it done. Looked at private but it was 7 grand! 🙀

Have you actually asked your GP? Have the NHS stopped doing all female sterilisation? I didn't know that. I had mine done many years ago, soon after birth ds2. After 2 x ds by cs, as a type 1 diabetic since birth, it was the best thing I ever did.

"It's a significant abdominal surgery with general anaesthesia, "

Not necessarily. Mine was a minor op, more like keyhole surgery these days, and I was out the same day, with a few days at home for recovery.

I had it done aged 30 at time of fourth cs

the drs had asked me at 34 w and I declined as wanted a mirena however I was admitted at 36w and they bullied me into it and I massively regretted it instantly.

had ivf and then a reversal eventually

I have to say though it wasn’t right for me but if it’s the woman’s choice they definitely should be able to access it

Same. I had it done during my fourth csection, 7 years ago. It was life changing for me!

For heavier periods, I had an ablation done too which helped significantly.