BellaOnline Forums Relationships Married No Kids 32 too young to think about getting sterilised?

Hi there,

I'm new here (I've made a few comments so far). It is so lovely finding a community like this... Having spent the last year having loads of friends and colleagues having babies I feel a bit of an oddity... I'm pleased for them and am happy to look at their babies, children - hold them and all that, I just don't want any of my own.

This hasn't been an overnight thing - I've felt this way since I was 16 (or possibly earlier) - so basically half my life (I'm 32) and all of my adult life I've felt this way...

More recently I've been considering sterilisation so that I don't have to worry about it or have to make desicions should my contraception fail...

Have any of you opted for this - how old were you when you underwent it. And - side effects afterwards? (Is it like the menopause or anything else?).

I can't tell you about the side effects or anything since I've never been through the process. I do know that some doctors (at least in the US) have objections to doing the procedure on women who have not yet had children. My former doctor was that way, because he thought I would change my mind. Yet he suggested that my husband get snipped. Go figure. Just wanted to warn you that you might run into that problem.

Anyway, if you are absolutely 100% positive that you want to remain childfree, then 32 certainly isn't too young to get it done. If it will give you peace of mind, go for it.

My mom had to do it, by the way. She had a hysterectomy at a very young age...she was no more than 30. She had endometriosis. But she has been on Hormone Replacement Therapy ever since, so take of that what you will.

Hi purplegirl! I haven't had it done (yet) but if you get a tubal (rather than a hysterectomy), theoretically it shouldn't feel like menopause b/c the hormones would not be affected. Same with Essure, which has always seemed to me like a great option.
I'm new to this community too but it's been great so far! Welcome and I hope this helps!

Btw- KarynJ- I love that photo of you and your husband!

Awww...aren't you sweet! Thanks so much!

Hi Purplegirl1974,
Below is one of my previous posts about getting snipped. I would assume in the UK there is an organization similar to planned parenthood. If they don't perform sterilization themselves, then they would refer you so someone who does do it.

Mike

First and foremost, I want to emphasize that there is ZERO effect on lovemaking. It does not affect masculinity or manhood in any way, shape or form. There is an excellent write-up about vasectomy on the planned parenthood site (www.plannedparenthood.org). I am going onto 37 and in excellent health. 8 days after the procedure, I resumed riding my road bike on the steep mountain roads near my home. I have enjoyed many great downhill, backcountry and cross country ski days (today was day no. 49) since mid October with zero problems. (The surgery was Sept 22). Guys there is less discomfort for you than for the lady in your life to get her tubes tied and there is far less chance of failure. My urologist told me that if I followed his post-op instructions
(my girlfriend stayed on the pill until I had two negative semen checks 5 weeks after the surgery) that the chance of vas deferentia rejoining was zero. The urologist and his nurse who performed the operation were professional and courteous during a consultation a few weeks before the surgery. There were no commentaries or opinions about our childfree choice given during the consultation. I have read articles about women who want to get their tubes tied having to endure commentaries, criticism and even refusals from medical professionals. If these medical professionals can't keep their opinions to themselves, they should do something else for a living.

Thanks Mike - I was thinking about me being sterilised as opposed to my husband... At least if it comes to it I can let him know this...

Purple Girl -

I don't think 32 is too young at all. I've never wanted to bear children. I was told in my late-20's that I was too young to be sterilized (should be mid-thirties) - in spite of the fact that I wanted it AND had had repeated bouts with uncontrolled menstrual bleeding (where best treatment is to cauterize the uterus, but this requires sterilization.) I finally got a tubal when I was 35 (happily, my medical insurance covered it for a total of $20, including post-surgery pain meds!) My ex-husband also had had a vasectomy and all I can say is permanent birth control is fabulous!

The hardest part about the surgery was that I wasn't allowed to drive for six weeks afterwards (my surgeon believes it's dangerous to have people driving until fully healed because of the risk of being tentative about breaking in an emergency) and wasn't warned about this until the day of surgery.

I'd do it again! Also, do look into the Essure. I have a rare allergy to one of the materials used, but the women I know who have had it absolutely rave about it.

Julie

Purple Girl,

Another idea to avoid surgery is to get an IUD, which is 99.9% effective. Mirena is good for 5 years and the copper IUD is good for 10. I just got Mirena placed earlier this year and LOVE it! Just go to the Planned Parenthood website and you can find a location near you that will provide it. If you are active duty military (like I am), TRICARE does cover it (YAY!).

My husband wanted a vasectomy in his mid-20s, but didn't get around to it until age 32.

Female sterilization won't interfere with hormone production, so there shouldn't be any side effects. Both Essure and tubal ligation are means of preventing the egg from reaching the uterus by blocking and / or cutting the fallopian tubes. If you're in the U.S., you'll probably be required to have a consultation prior to surgery.

I'm a military wife and discussed this with my doctor...more his idea to discuss it than mine. The problem with an IUD for women who have never been pregnant is that your cervix needs to be dilated in order to insert one (I'm just going by what my doctor told me...I am assuming your experience was different). He told me that I would actually have to have surgery to dilate my cervix so the IUD could be inserted, and that there could be complications from it. It scared me enough that I'm sticking to the pill for now...am thinking about switching to NuvaRing though.