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Expert Q&A

	By Myron Bethel Obstetrician and Gynecologist

About five years ago, after I had my second child, I wanted to have my tubes tied. Just recently, when I visited an OB/GYN, I found out that my tubes had been cut. When I looked in a family medical health book, I realized that there are two ovary sacs. I was wondering if both tubes get cut or just one of them? If both are cut and artificial insemination is my only option to getting pregnant, about how much would it cost to have that procedure done?

Tubal Sterilization can be performed by many methods, all of which are referred to as cutting or tying the tubes. Most OB/GYN doctors in the USA will perform a combination of tying, then cutting and then burning (cauterizing) the tubes. They must do this to both fallopian tubes or the surgery would fail, and the doctor would be held accountable for this failure.

The options available for pregnancy after tubal sterilization, include a major surgery called tubal re-anastomosis (re-connecting the tubes), or the use of Advance Reproductive Technology such as In vitro Fertilization. Both of these procedures are expensive ($6000-$12000) and often not covered by insurance. If you are young and otherwise healthy, the surgery to re-connect the tubes can offer a high chance of success (about 60%), assuming there is enough tube left after the cutting sterilization. In vitro Fertilization success rates are not, however, this high."

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