Sterilisation is a method of contraception for people who don’t want more children (or any children). There are several methods of sterilisation that differ in their permanence (i.e., some are permanent and some are reversible). Most commonly, sterilisation is permanent and involves a surgical procedure.
While they have different means of reducing the probability of pregnancy (e.g., vasectomies are a form of male sterilisation while tubal occlusions are a form of female sterilisation), all forms of sterilisation work by preventing sperm from meeting eggs. They are known to have a success rate of >99% in preventing pregnancy.
Male sterilisation (vasectomy) is done by cutting and sealing or tying the vas deferens (the tube that carries sperm from the testicles to the penis).
Female sterilisation (tubal occlusion) is done by cutting, sealing or blocking the fallopian tubes which carry an egg from the ovary to the uterus (womb).
These procedures are safe, pain-free, and minimally intrusive. However, these methods of sterilisation are permanent, and reversal operations aren’t always successful (not to mention expensive and inaccessible).
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The good news, however, is that long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) exist!
Equally as effective as permanent sterilisation (i.e., >99% success), LARCs also work by preventing contact between sperms and eggs.
Typically carried out on women, LARCs include intrauterine devices (IUDs), intrauterine systems (IUSs), contraceptive injections, and contraceptive implants.
A small, flexible rod is put under the skin of your upper arm. It releases the hormone progestogen.
It stops ovulation (releasing an egg), thickens cervical mucus to stop sperm reaching an egg, and thins the lining of the uterus (womb) to prevent a fertilised egg implanting.
It works for a period of three years, but can be removed earlier to return fertility to normal.
A small plastic and copper device is put into the uterus (womb).
The copper prevents sperm from surviving and alters your cervical mucus to prevent sperm from reaching an egg.
An IUD may also stop a fertilised egg implanting in the uterus.
It lasts for a period of five to ten years depending on the type of IUD, but can be taken out sooner to return fertility to normal.
A small, T-shaped plastic device, which releases the hormone progestogen, is put into the uterus (womb).
This thins the lining of the uterus to prevent a fertilised egg implanting and thickens cervical mucus to prevent sperm reaching an egg.
It works for a period of three or five years depending on the type of IUS, but can be removed earlier to return fertility to normal.
Caveat Emptor: Contraceptive injections are >99% effective only under circumstances of perfect use. With typical use, effectiveness rates drop to about 94%.
It releases the hormone progestogen which stops ovulation (releasing an egg), thickens cervical mucus to prevent sperm reaching an egg, and thins the lining of the uterus (womb) to prevent a fertilised egg implanting.
There are several ways of administering a contraceptive injection, depending on the type. Some are injected into a muscle, usually in your buttocks, while some are injected beneath the skin at the front of your thigh or abdomen.
The injection can’t be removed from the body so any side effects may continue for as long as it works and for some time afterwards. Each injection lasts for eight or thirteen weeks, depending on the type of contraceptive injection.
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Needless to say, there are plenty of alternative methods for contraception that are not listed here. Out-condoms (i.e., male condoms) and birth control pills seem to be the most popular form of contraception that are also highly effective. Diaphragms, caps, “plan-B” emergency contraceptive pills are all widely widely available. I do not talk about these means of contraception in this blog because I imagine them to be much more widely-known.
Naturally, there is much more than meets the eye when it comes to contraceptives like LARCs or sterilisation. What is presented in this page offers only a general, birds-eye view of the different options that one has when considering such contraceptives.
This page is by no means an authority on birth control methods. You are strongly encouraged to do more research on the types of contraceptives that interest you, and consult your general practitioner at your convenience to discuss the best contraceptive solutions for you.