sterilization (medicine) sterilization (medicine) sterilization (also spelled sterilisation) is any of a number of medical methods of birth control that intentionally leaves a person unable to reproduce. sterilization methods include both surgical and non-surgical, and exist for both males and females. sterilization procedures are intended to be permanent; reversal is generally difficult or impossible. sterilizationbackgroundtypesterilizationfirst useancientfailure rates (first year)perfect useunder 1%typical useunder 1%usageduration effectpermanentreversibilitydifficult and expensive, vasectomy reversal & tubal reversal may be possibleuser reminders3 negative semen samples required following vasectomyclinic reviewnoneadvantages and disadvantagessti protectionnonebenefitspermanent methods that require no further user actionsrisksoperative and postoperative complications there are multiple ways of having sterilization done, but the two that are used most frequently are tubal ligation for women and vasectomy for men. there are many different ways tubal sterilization can be accomplished. it is extremely effective and in the united states surgical complications are low. with that being said, tubal sterilization is still a method that involves surgery, so there is still a danger. women that chose a tubal sterilization may have a higher risk of serious side effects, more than a man has with a vasectomy. pregnancies after a tubal sterilization can still occur, even many years after the procedure. it is not very likely, but if it does happen there is a high risk of ectopic gestation. statistics confirm that a handful of tubal sterilization surgeries are performed shortly after a vaginal delivery mostly by minilaparotomy. in some cases, sterilization can be reversed but not all. it can vary by the type of sterilization performed. methods surgical surgical sterilization methods include: tubal ligation in females, known popularly as "having one's tubes tied". the fallopian tubes, which allow the sperm to fertilize the ovum and would carry the fertilized ovum to the uterus, are closed. this generally involves a general anesthetic and a laparotomy or laparoscopic approach to cut, clip or cauterize the fallopian tubes. bilateral salpingectomy in females, also known as tubal removal. both fallopian tubes are surgically removed. when done for contraceptive purposes, the ovaries are left in place. this method is considered more effective than tubal ligation, as there is no chance of tubal reconnection or clip failure, and also prevents cancer of the fallopian tubes and can reduce risk of ovarian cancer. vasoligation in males. the vasa deferentia, the tubes that connect the testicles to the prostate, are cut and closed. this prevents sperm produced in the testicles from entering the ejaculated semen (which is mostly produced in the seminal vesicles and prostate). although the term vasectomy is established in the general community, the correct medical terminology is vasoligation. hysterectomy in females. the uterus is surgically removed, permanently preventing pregnancy and some diseases, such as uterine cancer. castration in males. the testicles are surgically removed. this is frequently used for the sterilization of animals, but rarely for humans. it was also formerly used on some human male children for other reasons; see castrato and eunuch. transluminal transluminal procedures are performed by entry through the female reproductive tract. these generally use a catheter to place a substance into the fallopian tubes that eventually causes blockage of the tract in this segment. such procedures are generally called non-surgical as they use natural orifices and thereby do not necessitate any surgical incision. the essure procedure was one such transluminal sterilization technique. in this procedure, polyethylene terephthalate fiber inserts were placed into the fallopian tubes, eventually inducing scarring and occlusion of the tubes. in april 2018, the fda restricted the sale and use of essure. on july 20, 2018, bayer announced the halt of sales in the us by the end of 2018. quinacrine has also been used for transluminal sterilization, but despite a multitude of clinical studies on the use of quinacrine and female sterilization, no randomized, controlled trials have been reported to date and there is some controversy over its use.