The overwhelming popularity of tubal sterilization demands a close examination of its implications for the health and wellbeing of women from diverse and disparate settings including women underserved by the health care system. Since the 1970s tubal sterilization has increased in popularity as a method of permanent contraception among all ages and racial groups of women. Over a 100 million women have been sterilized worldwide, and in the United States, annually, almost 800,000 women have this procedure either post-partum or at some later time. The long-term effects of tubal sterilization are poorly understood. From the perspective of sterilized women, menstrual disorders and menopausal symptoms are often dismissed as trivial.. Attention to this important aspect of their health is critical. Equally important is the need to incorporate women’s perceptions of their menstrual histories in assessing various facets of women’s health. This paper argues for a multi-pronged examination of sterilization’s effects on women’s health, from survey data and in-depth interviews with women attending neighborhood health centers in Boston. Such approaches would highlight the legitimacy and value of indicators that reflect and reveal symptoms and morbidities that might not emerge in the customary patient-provider interactions. From a policy perspective, the legitimization of the experiences of sterilized women should give them greater confidence in approaching health care providers and asserting their needs. Similarly, mid-level health professionals who are critical to the examination of sterilization effects should mentor their less experienced associates with the ultimate aim of improving the delivery of reproductive health care.
Learning Objectives: To inform health professional of the policy implications of the poorly understood long-term effects of tubal sterilization on women's health, including menstrual disorders and menopause, chronic diseases such as osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease and cancers
Keywords: Women's Health, Menopause
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.