Tubal Ligation Syndrome- the Silent Epidemic

When a woman feels that her family is complete, she will often opt for tubal ligation, or, having her "tubes tied." Tubal ligation is one of the most common forms of birth control- about 10 million women in the have had their tubes tied. The problem now is that many women are finding out that having the procedure done is not as problem free as they were led to believe.

Tubal ligation syndrome, also called post-tubal ligation syndrome, can cause a wide array of symptoms- the most common are very heavy periods and hormonal imbalances. The hormonal imbalances are known to cause severe mood swings, irritability, insomnia and hot flashes. It can also result in ectopic pregnancies.

A British study showed that 43 percent of the tubal ligation patients had to seek treatment later for a host of gynecological problems, such as heavy periods, ovarian tumors, and some menstrual problems that required hormone treatments. A separate British study found that women who had a tubal ligation had 40 more menstrual blood loss.

Women about to undergo a tubal ligation are not told that these effects may occur, and they are not in the informed consent forms that the women are given to sign. In fact, many doctors believe tubal ligation syndrome is nothing but a medical myth- a combination of aging and discontinuing birth control pills. Several studies have come out with no conclusive proof that the syndrome exists, yet thousands of women suffer from life-changing symptoms every day- up to one third of women who have had the procedure.

Why are the patients not being listened to, and why are they not given informed consent of the risks before surgery? Once PMS was a myth as well- before enough studies had been conducted showing the correlation of mood swings and changing hormone levels preceding a period. The CDC is currently conducting tests to determine if the syndrome is real and what may be causing it.

Until then, thousands more women will likely undergo the procedure, and end up suffering from a long list of symptoms: heart palpitations, sudden tearful moods, night sweats, disturbances in their menstrual cycles, anxiety memory problems, fatigue, headaches, depression, weight gain, bleeding gums, hair thinning, a prolapsed uterus and more. All of these symptoms may not seem to go together, and may be misdiagnosed as several different conditions. If you have many of these symptoms, it is important to find a doctor who specifically knows how to treat tubal ligation syndrome, and not one who will tell you that it's just a part of aging, or that it's all in your head.