Up to 5% of women who undergo tubal sterilization may later become pregnant, calling the procedure's effectiveness as a contraceptive into question, according to a recent analysis from researchers at UCSF Health.
The study involved more than 4,000 women who reported having their tubes tied — a procedure known as tubal sterilization — as part of the National Survey of Family Growth between 2002 and 2015. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has advised patients that less than 1% of those who undergo the procedure later become pregnant, but the latest study estimates pregnancy may occur in up to 5.2% of cases.
"This study shows that tubal surgery cannot be considered the best way to prevent pregnancy," Bimla Schwarz, MD, study author and chief of the UCSF division of internal medicine at Zuckerberg San Francisco General, said in a news release. "People using a contraceptive arm implement or an IUD are less likely to become pregnant than those who have their tubes tied."
The findings were published Aug. 27 in NEJM Evidence and can be found in full here.