Can You Become Pregnant After a Tubal Ligation?

Tubal ligation

• Tubal ligation is when the fallopian tubes are cut and sealed closed, thereby preventing an egg from being fertilized. Pregnancy without ligation reversal or in vitro fertilization takes place in rare cases when a woman's tubes grow back together, allowing the egg to flow through the fallopian tube to the uterus.

Statistics

• The percentage of women who become pregnant after tubal ligation (without reversing the procedure) is about 1.43 percent. This rate increases to 1.85 percent approximately 10 years after tubal ligation. These percentages may seem high, but they are lower than the percentage rates for other birth control methods.

Reversal

• Tubal ligation reversal is a possibility for sterilized women who change their minds and want to conceive. Depending on the health of the fallopian tubes, the chances of becoming pregnant after the reversal surgery are 60% or less. The chances of ectopic (tubal) pregnancy after the ligation reversal increase because of the damage to the fallopian tubes.

In vitro fertilization

• The chance of becoming pregnant with in vitro fertilization after tubal ligation is less than after having a successful reversal. The success rate drops to 10 to 25 percent and requires more extensive medical attention because of the hormones that are used to assist the woman's body in creating multiple eggs during the ovulation period. Using hormones to create multiple eggs increases the chances of having an egg fertilized outside of the body for implantation.

Risk factors

• Risk factors are associated with both tubal ligation reversal and in vitro fertilization. In vitro fertilization presents the risk of the body's long-term reaction to the hormones used, as well as the higher possibility that the pregnancy will spontaneously terminate. Tubal ligation reversal brings the risks of ectopic pregnancy and further scarring to the fallopian tubes.