Why Is My Period Late If My Tubes Are Tied
If youve had a tubal ligation and you miss a period or get a positive result from a pregnancy test, see your doctor right away. Because youre at a higher risk of a serious medical condition called an ectopic pregnancy, which happens when a fertilized egg attaches outside the uterus, instead of inside.
My Tubes Are Tied But I Missed My Period
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Missed Period And Negative Pregnancy Test: What The Heck Is Going On
Have you missed your period and your urine pregnancy test was negative?
Did you take a couple of extra tests just to make sure you really were not pregnant?
Did you wonder what the heck was going on with your body?
As a fertility surgeon, I specialize in helping people become pregnant after their tubes have been tied. I specialize in tubal reversal surgery. My patients want to become pregnant again and many start trying soon after reversal surgery.
The main risk of reversing tubal ligation is the risk of ectopic pregnancy . My patients take frequent pregnancy test because they want to detect pregnancy as soon as possible. Once my reversal patients determine they are pregnant they can take the necessary steps to make sure the pregnancy is not in the tube.
It can be very common for any woman to miss a period and have a negative pregnancy test. Many women are bewildered and confused. They figure they must be pregnant and many ultimately end up seeking medical attention to help figure out why their pregnancy test is negative.
On social media, I often see comments about women missing periods and having a negative pregnancy tests. Many women are understandably concerned because they are having all the symptoms of pregnancy but their urine pregnancy tests are persistently negative. I cant tell you how many times I have seen someone post,
I missed my period, my boobs are sore, and I am feeling nauseatedbut my pregnancy test is negative.does anyone know what is going on?
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Yes You Can Reverse Tubal Ligation
Sometimes, the desire to have a baby happens later in life, after you’ve had your tubes tied.
Since tubal ligation is considered a permanent form of birth control, it does require a minimally invasive surgical procedure to reverse it, so you can try to become pregnant. This involves reconnecting the blocked segments of the fallopian tubes to the remainder of the fallopian tubes.
If successful, a reversal may allow the egg and sperm to meet again. But this depends on your age, type of tubal ligation performed, and the length of your remaining tubes. According to Brigham and Women’s Hospital, approximately 50% to 80% of women can get pregnant after a reversal.
You May Become Pregnant Again
The more time that passes after getting your tubes tied, the higher are the chances that you may get pregnant again! According to WebMD, this happens to about 5 out of 1,000 women after the first year and 13 out of 1,000 women after 5 years following tubal ligation.
What increases your chances of becoming pregnant post tubal ligation? The most common reason that a woman becomes pregnant after having a tubal ligation is that her fallopian tubes grow back together or a new passage forms. This allows sperm to meet a released egg. Unfortunately, if this happens, it could result in an ectopic pregnancy. According to BabyCenter, in the rare chance that a woman gets pregnant after a tube ligation procedure, the likelihood that the pregnancy is ectopic is 25 to 50 percent.
Age also plays a factor in the chances of pregnancy after a tubal ligation. For example, women who are 28 or younger have a 5 percent chance of getting pregnant after the surgery. Women who are between the ages of 28 and 33 have a 2 percent chance of becoming pregnant and then there is a 1 percent chance if you are 34 or older.
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Why Women Do The Procedure
Women can have the procedure for several reasons such as not wanting children anymore or due to a medical condition but Raymond added that it often comes down to contraception.
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The procedure itself is covered in Canada, and most women will return to daily activities and work within a week, Solnik added.
Only women and couples who are very certain of their decision to not conceive should consider tubal ligation. Notwithstanding, a very small percentage of women will conceive after this procedure meaning, it is not 100 per cent effective in every situation, Solnik explained.
While pregnancy following tubal ligation is very rare, those who do conceive have a much higher probability of experiencing an ectopic pregnancy or a pregnancy outside of the uterus. If a woman suspects she may be pregnant, such as a missed period, which should not happen after a tubal ligation, then she should seek immediate medical advice.
How Do I Get Ready For A Tubal Ligation
In the days before your surgery, tell your surgeon about any medicines you take. This includes herbal supplements and over-the-counter medicines. You may have to stop taking aspirin or other medicines that thin your blood and may increase bleeding.
Other points to go over include:
- Tell your surgeon if you or someone in your family has ever had a reaction to general or local anesthesia.
- If you smoke, you may be told to stop smoking well before surgery.
- On the day and night before surgery you may be given instructions for when to stop eating and drinking. If you are having general anesthesia, it is common to have nothing to eat or drink after midnight.
- Ask your surgeon if you should take your regular medicines with a small sip of water on the morning of the procedure.
- Wear loose comfortable clothing on the day of surgery to have an easier time getting dressed afterward.
- If you are having the surgery as an outpatient, arrange for someone to drive you home and stay with you during the early recovery period.
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Abnormal Thyroid Hormone Levels
Thyroid disease can cause missed periods and a negative pregnancy test.
Either an overactive or an underachieve can cause irregular or skipped periods.
Abnormal thyroid function does not cause a negative pregnancy test. Your pregnancy test is negativebecause you are not pregnant!
Thankfully this is not very common. Most people with ABNORMAL thyroid function will have REGULAR periods.
A simple thyroid blood test can help make or exclude thyroid dysfunction as a cause for irregular periods.
Does Your Partner Love You Quality Vs Quantity
Have you ever asked your partner if they love you? They will usually say Yes or No .
This is a qualitative question. Once you have determined if they love you do you stop with that answer? Most likely, you will then proceed to determine how much they love you.
Have you ever followed up the first question with this second questionThen how much do you love me? If so then you asked them a quantitative question.you want an answer that suggest the amount or level to which they love you.
A urine pregnancy test is a qualitative test. It says yes or no.
A blood pregnancy test is usually a quantitative testit gives you the exact amount of hormone.ever wondered why doctors call the blood test a quantitative HCG test?
So just like with love questionsyou need to perform the pregnancy test the same way.
- Urine pregnancy test or first question: Do you love me? Yes or no. If they say No then no reason to ask the second question. If they say Yes then proceed to second question.
- Blood pregnancy test or second question: How much do you love me?
The urine pregnancy test is the best test to give you a yes or no answer.The kidneys filter the blood out and excrete concentrated HCG in the urine. The urine test can easily detect HCG in the urine.
It is always best to start with a good urine pregnancy test. Only if the urine test is positive is it then advisable to go with a blood test to check your pregnancy hormone levels over time to see if they are increasing.
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Your Doctor May Be Reluctant To Perform The Surgery
Some doctors are very hesitant to perform tubal ligation reversal surgeries on women, especially young women, who are still in their early child-bearing years. Most doctors are concerned that some women may later regret the decision to have their tubes tied.
According to WebMD.com, surgeons usually refuse to perform the surgery if they think there is little chance that it will be successful. This adds another layer to your doctor’s decision to refuse to perform the operation.
This particular situation seems to be like a double-edged sword. Women who have already had children and are done having any more or women who may have gone through a difficult divorce may feel particularly passionate about having this effective method of birth control performed. However, doctors are sometimes concerned that the same woman who just went through a divorce may, at some point, find another partner and decide to have more children. Thus making both sides of the argument understandable.
Protection Against Ovarian Cancer
Studies have shown that women who have had complete hysterectomies or tubal ligation surgeries, lower their risk of developing ovarian cancer later in life.
Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women. 1 in 75 women will develop ovarian cancer at some point in her life. This statistic is pretty scary, but if the cancer is detected in its early stages, a woman has over a 90% chance of survival.
The good news is, when you have a tubal sterilization surgery performed, you have lowered the risk of ovarian cancer, and here is why: Cancer sometimes starts in your fallopian tubes which are very close to your ovaries. The cancer can then spread from your tubes and on into your ovaries. If your fallopian tubes have been closed from a tubal ligation, then you have lowered your risk for potential cancer to spread to your ovaries!
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Can You Reverse A Tubal Ligation Or Salpingectomy
You may be eligible to have your tubal ligation reversed, but there are a limited number of gynecologists that perform this complicated type of surgery, and its not covered by healthcare. A salpingectomy, on the other hand, is irreversible, but you might still be able to become pregnant through IVF.
Definitions And Terminology For Menstrualpattern
- Normal menstrual: A menstrual interval of 21-35days and a flow duration of 7 days or less are considerednormal .
- Menstrual cycle length: The number of days fromthe beginning of one menstrual period to the beginningof the next one is defined as menstrual cyclelength .
- Menstrual irregularities: A menstrual intervalshorter than 21 days and longer than 35 days is definedas menstrual irregularities. Amount of bleedingis varied .
- Oligomenorrhea: Bleeding intervals longer than 35days is defined as oligomenorrhea .
- Polymenorrhea: A menstrual interval shorter than21 days is defined as polymenorrhea .
- Hypermenorrhea: Flow more than 7 days is consideredas hypermenorrhea .
- Metrorrhagia: Metrorrhagia is defined as vaginalbleeding occurring between the expected menstrualperiods .
- Menorrhagia: Menorrhagia is defined as a PBLAC score of â¥100 . Length of menstruation cycleis not important in diagnosis of menorrhagia becausethis definition is not valid by itself .
- Menometrorrhagia: Excessive and prolonged bleedingoccurring irregularly is defined as menometrorrhagia.
Statistical analysis
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What Should I Expect After The Laparoscopic Surgery
You may have symptoms after the laparoscopic surgery including:
- Dizziness
- Cramps
- Bloated or gassy feeling
After your laparoscopic procedure, you will stay in the recovery room until you are wide awake and able to eat and drink light foods such as crackers and ginger ale. Most individuals go home within 2-4 hours on the same day. Youll need someone to bring you to the hospital and take you home. Some women may have mild discomfort for a few days. If any of the symptoms below last longer than a couple of days, call your health care provider. Most individuals can go back to school or work within 1 week of having the procedure, but everyone is different so be sure to listen to what your health care provider tells you.
Purpose Of Tubal Ligation
While the purpose of tubal ligation is to make it so that a person cannot get pregnant, why people seek this end result can differ and is highly personal.
For example, some people may not have children and may not want any in the future. Others may already have children but not want to add to their family for a variety of reasons. Still, others may be advised against future pregnancies due to serious health concerns.
The possible benefits of tubal ligation include:
- It is convenient and effective: Once you heal, you don’t need to worry about contraception again.
- It has a very good success rate of pregnancy prevention.
- It does not have any of the hormonal side effects associated with some other birth control options.
Tubal ligation also has the added advantages of possibly reducing your risk of certain diseases.
Research published in 2012 suggests that having a tubal ligation reduces your risk for ovarian cancer by up to 30%. Although the exact reason for this is unknown, there are two main theories for this finding:
- When you have your tubes tied, the blood supply to your ovaries is interrupted. This may alter your hormone levels, resulting in a reduced risk of ovarian cancer.
- The closing off of the fallopian tubes may, perhaps, protect the ovaries from environmental agents that could cause cancer.
Yet another benefit of tubal ligation is that having your tubes tied may lower your chances of developing pelvic inflammatory disease .
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Who Should Not Get A Tubal Ligation
Most tubal ligations are done by two small incisions or one small incision in the abdomen.
However, if you have severe scar tissue in your pelvis from a cesarean section, or if you’ve had a pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, or previous abdominal surgery, a tubal ligation can be potentially riskier. Talk with your doctor about a procedure using a larger incision in the abdomen.
Additionally, if you have medical problems that would make general anesthesia more dangerous like a history of adverse reactions to anesthesia, you may want to consider a non-surgical type of birth control.