Laparoscopic Bilateral Salpingectomy FAQs

In October 2015 I got my fallopian tubes removed, which is called a laparoscopic bilateral salpingectomy. As I'm writing this it's been 15 months since surgery, and I still get a lot of comments on my previous posts about this procedure. To make one easy-to-reference location for the most common questions I've gotten, I made this post.

Anyone is still free to post here or on any of my other posts with new questions! But now no one will have to read through dozens of comments to find out if their question has been answered.

Best of luck to anyone considering this procedure or recovering from it! I do love hearing your stories, so continue to let me know about your experience.

My experience:

• Getting my laparoscopic bilateral salpingectomy
• My 6 week update
• Dealing with insurance
• My 1 year update

About laparoscopic bilateral salpingectomy:

• What is a laparoscopic bilateral salpingectomy?
• Salpingectomy is the surgical removal of both fallopian tubes.
• Laparoscopic refers to how the procedure is done: through a tiny incision with tools that go inside the body, rather than big cuts into muscle. Much faster and easier recovery.
• Bilateral refers to both sides: both fallopian tubes were removed, so the procedure was done on both sides of my abdomen.
• Who needs a laparoscopic bilateral salpingectomy?
• It's a great sterilization procedure! Removing the fallopian tubes is getting pretty darn close to making it impossible to get pregnant. 
• If you have an ectopic pregnancy this is what you'll get to save your life.
• I chose this procedure over a tubal ligation and essure because I wanted the most effective form of sterilization and I didn't want anything left inside me. It was the best combination of pain, recovery time, and long term effectiveness for me.
• Why did you get fixed?
• I don't want kids.
• I don't want to get pregnant.

FAQs 

Pre-Surgery

• How much time off work do I need?
• How long until I can go back to exercising or working my physically intense job?
• How did you find a doctor to perform this procedure on you?
• Did your insurance cover this procedure?
• How much does laparoscopic bilateral salpingectomy cost?
• Do your ovaries get removed?
Post-Surgery

• Did your period change?
• Did you get heavier periods after surgery?
• Did cramping get worse?
• Are your periods more irregular after surgery?
• Did your hormones change?
• Will you get early menopause?
• How long do the scars take to heal?
• How long until the bloating goes away?
• Did you have shoulder pain from the gas?
General
• Don't a lot of women regret sterilization?
• Why not just get an IUD?
• Do you still worry about getting pregnant?
• So you really don't want kids?


Answers
Pre-Surgery

• How much time off work do I need?
• It depends on your job. I had an office job, so I only took the day of surgery off (a Monday). I worked from home the next two days, and by Thursday I was back in the office. I could walk around the office and to and from my car fine by then. I did take the elevator, though!
• How long until I can go back to exercising or working my physically intense job?
• I took the full 6 weeks off exercising, but I was also recovering from an ankle injury at the same time. You could probably go back to a physical job within two weeks, depending on what you do and how fast your body heals. You're not supposed to lift anything more than 10 pounds for up to 4 weeks, though, and I don't think I could have run sooner than 4 weeks even if my ankle was good.
• How did you find a doctor to perform this procedure on you?
• Check this site: https://www.reddit.com/r/childfree/wiki/doctors
• I had a couple of consultations before finding my doctor. I felt a real connection with her, like she truly understood what I wanted. She did not push me or talk down to me. I highly recommend finding someone who makes you feel this way.
• If you're young you might have more trouble finding a doctor to sterilize you. Also, I live in California which is pretty liberal about this stuff.
• If all else fails, Planned Parenthood will sterilize you, and it'll probably be less expensive than in a hospital.
• Did your insurance cover this procedure?
• Partially. Mine was covered as a general in-network surgery, but it was not 100% covered as a sterilization (a requirement of the Affordable Care Act). This is because laparoscopic bilateral salpingectomy is not considered "birth control only". If you need a sterilization procedure that insurance will cover 100% you might want to consider a tubal ligation (which is only done to prevent pregnancy, unlike salpingectomy).
• Every insurance company is different. Check with yours before surgery. Get the codes your hospital will use and ask for everything: doctor code, surgery code, anesthesiologist code, etc. Ask your insurance company what your cost will be for those codes.
• How much does laparoscopic bilateral salpingectomy cost?
• A lot. My cost was just over $2,000 after insurance covered a portion.
• Do your ovaries get removed?
• Nope! The only things that were removed were my fallopian tubes.

Post-Surgery

• Did your period change?
• Did you get heavier periods after surgery?
• No.
• I was not on hormonal birth control before surgery, so my periods were normal for me. Many forms of hormonal birth control make periods lighter, so going off them makes periods heavier (though heavier really is just back to normal). Since most women who get this surgery go off hormonal birth control at the same time, they attribute the heavier period to the sterilization.
• Did cramping get worse?
• Nope! See answer above.
• Are your periods more irregular after surgery?
• Nope! My periods have always been very regular, including after sterilization.
• It did take a few months for them to find their new groove, though. I had my surgery in October, and skipped my period that month. By January I was back to my regular cycle.
• Did your hormones change?
• Nope! Fallopian tubes don't have anything to do with hormone production, so removing them doesn't change anything.
• I was not on hormonal birth control before surgery, so there was no hormonal change before and after surgery.
• Will you get early menopause?
• Nope!
• See answer above.
• How long do the scars take to heal?
• The scars fade quickly - mine started to fade within 6 weeks, but were still noticeable.  
• The incisions are low on my abdomen, so they're covered by clothes. One incision is in my belly button, which is not noticeable at all.
• It's been over a year now and one of them is 99% gone. The other looks like a light birth mark now, and will continue to fade until it's gone.
• It was surprising how quickly they faded!
• How long until the bloating goes away?
• I felt back to normal within two weeks. 
• I wore jeans a week after surgery.
• Did you have shoulder pain from the gas?
• No, not really. It was all in my abdomen.
• Other women do have shoulder pain, though. Walking around should help.

General

• Don't a lot of women regret sterilization?
• Not as far as I'm aware. So far I sure don't!
• From what I could find online, the women who regret sterilization tended to never want the procedure in the first place. They were coerced into it during childbirth. Many regretted it after their relationships ended and they realized they wanted more children with their new partners. 
• I've never heard of anyone who never wanted kids regretting sterilization. Doesn't mean it never happens, just that it seems pretty rare.
• Why not just get an IUD?
• Because I wanted something permanent that didn't leave anything inside me.
• Laparoscopic bilateral salpingectomy is as close to being 100% risk-free as you can get. IUDs are great, but not as great as salpingectomy.
• Do you still worry about getting pregnant?
• Nope! It's awesome.
• So you really don't want kids?
• I really don't.