Female sterilisation is an effective and permanent form of contraception.
The operation usually involves cutting, sealing or blocking the fallopian tubes, which eggs travel through from the ovaries to the womb. This prevents the eggs from reaching the sperm and becoming fertilised.
How popular is it?
Every year, thousands of UK couples choose sterilisation as their method of contraception. It has become increasingly popular since the late 1960s. In 2001, one in 10 women aged under 50 was sterilised in the UK.
Who is it for?
Almost any woman can be sterilised. However, sterilisation should only be considered by women who do not want any more children, or do not want children at all. Once you are sterilised, it is very difficult to reverse the process (see Risks), so it is important to consider the other options available.
Surgeons are more willing to perform sterilisation for women who are over 30 and who have had children, although some younger women who have never had a baby choose it.
How effective is it?
Female sterilisation is more than 99% effective, and only one in 200 women will become pregnant after the operation. It can be reversed, but the success rate is much smaller, with only 50-80% of fertility returning, depending on age and what sterilisation methods were used. Sterilisation reversal is not usually available on the NHS.
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