Your GP will strongly recommend counselling before referring you for sterilisation. Counselling will give you a chance to talk about the operation in detail, and talk about any doubts, worries or questions that you might have.
If you decide to be sterilised, your GP will refer you to a specialist for treatment. This will usually be a gynaecologist at your nearest NHS hospital. A gynaecologist is a specialist in treating conditions of the female reproductive system.
Pregnancy test
Before you have the operation, you will be given a pregnancy test to make sure that you are not pregnant. It is vital to know this, because once the surgeon blocks your fallopian tubes, there is a high risk that any pregnancy will become ectopic (when the fertilised egg grows outside the womb, usually in the fallopian tubes). An ectopic pregnancy can be life-threatening because it can cause severe internal bleeding.
Contraception
You will be asked to use contraception until the day of the operation, and to continue using it:
- until your next period if you are having your fallopian tubes blocked (tubal occlusion)
- for around three months if you are having fallopian implants (hysteroscopic sterilisation)
Sterilisation can be performed at any stage in your menstrual cycle. Your menstrual cycle lasts from the first day of your period up to, but not including, the first day of your next period.
