Pregnancy After Tubal Ligation More Common Than Previously Thought, Study Says

Pregnancy tubal ligation birth control

By Danielle Ong , Parent Herald Sep 02, 01:31 am

Photo: (Photo : Diana Bagnoli/Getty Images )

Tubal ligation, commonly referred to as getting the "tubes tied," has been touted as a permanent form of birth control, but a new study found that women getting pregnant after undergoing the procedure is more common than previously thought.

The study, published Tuesday, revealed that 3% to 5% of women in the United States who underwent tubal ligation reported unplanned pregnancy following the procedure. This new study challenges data from earlier research by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists that suggested less than 1% of women who got their "tubes tied" reported unplanned pregnancies within a year of having the surgery.

Study Finds Pregnancy Occurs Even After Tubal Ligation

The new study examined four surveys from 2022 to 2015, which included data from more than 31,000 women, including 4,184 who had undergone tubal ligation.

In analyzing the data, the researchers found that 2.9% of women who had undergone the surgery reported unplanned pregnancies within the first year. Additionally, the study found that women who were youngest at the time of the surgery had the highest chance of getting pregnant after getting a tubal ligation.

The study noted that women who had their procedures funded by Medicaid were not more likely to become pregnant after tubal ligation than those with private insurance.

Researchers are now recommending the use of other contraceptives to prevent unplanned pregnancies, including an arm implant or an intrauterine device (IUD). The study was led by UC San Francisco.

Increased Interest in Tubal Ligation

Between 2015 and 2017, 64.9% of women aged 15 to 49 in the United States used contraception, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics. Of the various birth control methods, 18.6% of women chose tubal ligation.

The use of female sterilization increased depending on the age to 4.2% among women aged 20 to 29; 21.6% among women aged 30 to 39; and 39.4% in women aged 40 to 49. Tubal ligation was also found to be more common among low-income women and those suffering from chronic medical conditions, the statistics showed.