I am trying to decide if I want Essure or if i want to have my tubes tied. I am definitely ready for permanent birth control. I am 41 years old and have a BEAUTIFUL 11 year old daughter, our family is complete. :-)
I would love input from those who have had either procedure, good and/or bad.
I know that with Essure there is a shorter recovery period but you have to wait 3 months and then be tested to see if it worked.
I know that with having your tubes tied it is actual surgery and you have a longer recovery time, but the results are immediate.
I am just not sure which way I want to go. I have seen good and bad about both.
I guess my biggest worry about Essure is a sensitivity to the nickle (I believe they are supposed to test for this before the procedure) and then of course the implant moving into places where it is not supposed to be.
I had my left tube removed several years ago due to a tubal pregnancy so it would be just on the one side regardless of which procedure I chose.
If you have any opinions (look who I'm asking LOL), I would really appreciate any and all perspectives.
Thanks!
I didn't even think of the IUD. I might call my Dr. Tomorrow and ask about that. That is a good idea.
Thank you everyone for sharing your opinions and experiences with me. I appreciate it.
go with a tubal - i'm not a fan of foreign objects in the body... it's no big deal, i was up and going that afternoon, no big deal AT ALL - i had an ablation at the same time, and still, no big deal.
Vasectomy.
It's so much less invasive and far more easily reversed for men.
My doctor highly recommended Essure over the tubal ligation, though I'm not entirely sure why. I think she mentioned it being a less invasive procedure.
I don't mean to pick on anyone, but I find the "foreign objects" argument somewhat humorous. "Foreign objects" have saved the lives of countless people - pace makers, stents, angioplasty, prosthetics, diabetics. I wouldn't rule out a procedure simply because a "foreign object" is introduced. I'd be looking at success rate and listening to what doctors have to say.
I do know there is another alternative to Essure that is not nickel because I started to discuss with my doctor. I was going to take that route since like you mentioned recovery is so much quicker...but then I decided to just let my hubby do it :) Like Christy Lee mentioned there are other benefits to it. Although hubby is getting his this week and I am sure will be milking it!
I'm all for making sure that the fewer foreign objects or particles one has in the body, the better one's health will be. Just because you're not allergic to nickel now (or whatever material it is made out of) does not mean you won't or can't become allergic later in life. You could come down with a whole list of wierd health symptoms and never put 2 and 2 together and realize it's from the Essure. Or your doctor(s) won't believe you (trust me; been there).
I had both tubes tied when my daughter was 2.5 years old and never had any issues or problems. Never worried about becoming pregnant either. When she was 7, I had a NovaSure Ablation done (I had noncancerous hyperplasia), so I'll never have to worry about getting pregnant. Ever.
Just a for what it's worth observation: I had an abdominal belly button hernia repaired when my daughter was 2.5 years old. The tear was so big that the surgeon was forced to use some surgical mesh to make sure the repair would stay. Now every once in a while I will get twinges or slight pulling sensations (let's just say it's a great motivator to watch my weight) that I know are from the mesh. Not pleasant. I also now have the lifelong duty of watching the site of the hernia for any and all complications from the mesh. Apparently, there can be complications with certain meshes. This is not something I signed up for, and I wasn't asked (or told) prior to surgery that this could be something that might happen. The hernia needed to be repaired, but I'm not happy that I now have a foreign body inside me.
Carefully weigh everything, then go with what is the least invasive.
I had to have a complete hysterectomy a year after my son was born, so I haven't had to worry about birth control. I didn't worry about birth control before I had him because I was told I couldn't get pregnant. SURPRISE!
Most of the women I work with use Mirena. One woman who has two older kids just found out she's pregnant. She's in a bit of shock, but she's going through with the pregnancy. She hasn't announced it to anyone yet, with the exception of one other coworker. The other coworker is also on Mirena and she is making plans for a tubal ligation. She does NOT want more children and will never change her mind about it. She had 3 kids in a row, bing, bang, boom. She loves her kids, but she admits that she had no idea how hard it would be and she wishes she had done things a little differently. Three kids that close has been more overwhelming than easy.
She's ready to take the leap to complete sterilization because she is terrified of getting pregnant again. She's so scared, it's affecting her relationship with her husband. She does not want to fear even the slightest possibility that she could be pregnant. I fully support her in her decision.
Tubal ligations are not that serious a procedure. Yes, you are put under, but the procedure can often be done laparoscopically. The incisions are quite small. You would only be dealing with one tube. There are risks to any procedure, but I think that the ligation will be far easier on you than you may imagine.
I know many women who have gone through it and other than soreness, their recoveries were nothing serious.
Either way, it's your choice.
I just know that one benefit of my hysterectomy was that I knew there was never any chance of getting pregnant again. Personally, I would have like to have more kids, but there was a freedom I found in never having to worry about it again.
Just my opinion and best wishes.
According to my husband who just attended a conference where they discussed various birth control methods, Essure has a lower risk of tubal pregnancy than does tubal ligation.
I was also going to ask why not a non-hormonal IUD. At your age, it would be great.
my dr said neither.. IUD. at 41 you only need birth control for less than 10 years get the 10 year IUD .. and then take it out at 50.
he said there is always a risk with a tubal.. it is surgery.. anesthesia.. infection...
I had Essure done in January of last year.
Procedure took 30 minutes, some discomfort, but very little pain.
I was in/out and back to life as normal an hour afterwards.
Absolutely no complications afterwards. In fact, my periods are now shorter and lighter after having it done.
Went back for my HSG 3 months later, and 100% blocked. No pain at all with this procedure. I literally felt nothing.
No problems at all since then!
When I discussed Essure vs. Adiana (the non-nickel one), he said that there is a higher chance of preg/failure with Adiana due to the material it's made of. There have been more documented cases of issues, I guess.
PM with questions.
I had essure done a little more than a year ago. It was very easy and the recovery was pretty quick. It kind of felt like a slightly more crampy period, but the pain was gone pretty quick. I still have some of the pain killers they prescribed because I just didnt use them. After the 3 months the testing was very easy and so far it has worked great! No babies!
