Here's How Permanent Birth Control Stacks Up. Is It Right For You ...

Fourteen million American women have opted for permanent birth control. Should you?

OK, choosing the right birth control can be tricky business--especially because so much rides on what's going on in your life when you're choosing it (in a committed relationship? Not? Want kids? Don't?). Permanent birth control is one of the options that millions of women choose--but not everybody understands what it is. That's why we asked Carrie Panoff, D.O., F.A.C.O.G, of Ramapo Valley Ob/Gyn, P.C. in Pomona and Monroe, N.Y.: to see how permanent birth control stacks up!

But first things first: if the "permanent" in "permanent birth control" is putting you off, it's probably not for you. According to Dr. Panoff: "Permanent means non-reversible, meaning that this form of contraception will last for the remainder of a your reproductive life. This should not scare you if you've completed childbearing. If you're frightened by the word 'permanent,' you're probably not ready to make this decision and you should entertain reversible options until you're ready to make an indelible decision."

OK, now onto the various methods of permanent birth control--they're different, you know? According to Dr. Panoff, here are the pros and cons of each:

Non-surgical permanent birth control (such as Essure, a.k.a. hysteroscopic sterilization: two small coils inserted into each fallopian tube)

No incision, no anesthesia, no time off from daily life. "It's a viable option for any woman, even one with multiple co-morbidities that would preclude health risks of anesthesia," Dr. Panoff says. "It also has the highest efficacy rate (1/1,000) v traditional tubal ligation with risk of 16/1,000. With the Essure confirmation test you receive definitive confirmation that your tubes are blocked and therefore entirely worry-free contraception.

1. Cons:

3 month waiting period to confirm blocked tubes.

Tubal ligation (a.k.a., "getting your tubes tied": a surgical procedure where a woman's fallopian tubes are cut, blocked, or blocked)

Pros: The results are immediate--no waiting time needed.
Cons: There are some surgical- and anaesthetic-related risks, which precludes patients who are not candidates for surgery (and are also at high risk for pregnancy). There's no post-treatment confirmation that tubes are successfully blocked, according to Dr. Panoff.

Vasectomy (cutting or burning a guy's vas deferens--the tubes that carry sperm--and blocking both cut ends)

No hormones, quick and easy outpatient surgery--in a guy. I mean, obviously.
It doesn't prevent STDs, and a guy could regret the decision later.

Would you ever--or do you now--use permanent birth control? Which options would you opt for?

More on birth control:
* Are We Really, Finally Close to a Birth Control Pill for Men?
* A Lot of Women Think Condoms and Birth Control Pills Work Work WAY Better Than They Do
* Birth Control: Raise Your Hand If You Have Questions!

Photo: Thinkstock

Source: http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2012/10/so-what-is-permanent-birth-con.html

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