Essure Tubal Occlusion

What is a Tubal Occlusion?

A tubal occlusion procedure is a method of sterilization, which is a permanent method of birth control.  It is a low-risk procedure that works with your body to create a natural barrier against pregnancy.  The procedure can be performed in a physician's office in less than an hour, and is not reversible.  It should only be performed on women who do not want to become pregnant in the future.

Why is Tubal Occlusion Effective?

A woman's reproductive organs are located in her pelvis.   The uterus, located in the lower abdomen, opens into the vagina.  Two ovaries, one on each side of the vagina, contain eggs and are connected to the uterus by fallopian tubes.  Each month, an egg is released from an ovary and moves into one of the fallopian tubes.  If a woman has sexual relations with a man during the time that the egg is in the fallopian tube, a sperm may join with and fertilize the egg.  The egg then continues to move through the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it can become attached in order to grow during pregnancy.  

With tubal occlusion, the fallopian tubes are blocked and therefore eggs cannot be fertilized or reach the uterus in order to implant.   This prevents pregnancy by natural means from occurring. 

The Essure Tubal Occlusion Procedure

The Essure procedure does not require any cutting into the body.   An Essure trained doctor inserts small flexible micro-inserts  through the body’s natural pathways (vagina, cervix, and uterus) and into your fallopian tubes. The procedure can be performed in your physician’s office without general anesthesia, and most women resume their normal activities within one day. During the three months following the procedure, body tissue will grow into and around the micro-inserts , forming a natural barrier that prevents sperm from reaching the egg.   During this time, you must continue using another form of birth control.

Three months after the procedure is performed, your healthcare provider will use x-ray imaging to confirm that your tubes are fully blocked, resulting in permanent birth control. Unlike birth control pills, patches, rings, and some forms of IUDs, Essure does not contain hormones to interfere with your natural menstrual cycle.   Your periods should more or less continue in their natural state.

Benefits of the Procedure

Compared to other methods of tubal occlusion, including cutting, tying or sealing the fallopian tubes, Essure tubal occlusion has the following advantages:

• No hospital stay: Because there is no cutting or general anesthesia required, the Essure procedure can be performed safely and comfortably in a doctor's office.
• No incisions: The Essure micro-inserts are passed through the body's natural pathways and inserted into the fallopian tubes.  Unlike tubal ligation, there is no cutting into the body, burning, or destruction of the fallopian tubes.
• No hormones: Unlike many temporary methods of birth control such as birth control pills, the patch, the ring and some IUDs, the Essure micro-inserts do not contain hormones so they will not interfere with your monthly cycle.
• No long recovery times: Most women return to their normal activities the day the micro-inserts are placed or within one day.
• Short procedure time: The procedure normally takes less than 30 minutes.  Most women are on their way in an average of 45 minutes.
• Proven effective: FDA-approved and in use for over five years, the Essure procedure is 99.80% effective based on 4 years of follow-up, and is the only birth control method with zero pregnancies in clinical trials.

When Not to Have the Procedure

The Essure tubal occlusion procedure should not be performed under certain circumstances.  Let your healthcare provider know if you:

• Think that you may want a child in the future
• Have had a tubal ligation in the past
• Are pregnant or think you might be pregnant
• Have been pregnant during the past 6 weeks
• Have an active or recent pelvic infection
• Have an allergy to contrast dye (used in the x-ray testing)
• Have a sensitivity to nickel as shown by skin testing

Remember

Essure tubal occlusion is a gentle, low-risk, and irreversible method of sterilization.  Sterilization is a major life decision.  The decision to have this procedure should be yours alone, and you should not make this decision during stressful times in your life.