Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome occurs in women who have undergone tubal ligation and endometrial ablation (a minor surgical procedure for abnormal bleeding where the uterine lining is destroyed rather than undergoing a complete surgical removal of the uterus).  Approximately 6 months to 1 year following their ablation procedure or tubal ligation women may experience cyclic pelvic pain.  The pain can be on one or both sides and can be severe.

The symptoms of PTLS (Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome) are the following:

• Hot flashes
• Night sweats
• Flushing
• Chills
• Headache
• Racing pulse
• Dizziness
• Difficulty concentrating
• Irritability
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Mood swings
• Nausea
• Bloating
• Weight gain
• Change in hair growth pattern and thinning fingernails
• Fatigue
• Difficulty sleeping
• Decreased libido
• Breast tenderness
• Decrease in breast size
• Painful intercourse
• Irregular heavy or light bleeding
• Osteoporosis
• Uterine prolapsed, where the uterus becomes misplaced through the vagina

Although it is not entirely clear what causes PTLS, it is correlated with a previous history of tubal ligation.  Some studies have indicated that women who undergo tubal ligation may be at risk factor for hot flashes, chills, night sweats, and other menopause-like symptoms.  These changes are thought to be related to changes in estrogen and other hormone production in the ovaries.  These changes can lead to loss of normal monthly ovulatory cycles as a result of the change in ovarian hormone production that is thought to occur as a result of tubal sterilization and endometrial ablation.

Depending on a patient’s particular situation, tubal ligation reversal surgery has been considered as a method to reduce the pelvic pain symptoms many women experience after a tubal ligation.  For some women, the desire to return to a more normal pattern of menstrual cycles may be reason to consider a tubal reversal.  The ligation reversal gives the woman back not only the option to consider pregnancy in the future but also can help relieve the symptoms associated with Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome.

Doctors also advise patients to take pre-natal vitamins, engage in as exercise regimen, and to stop smoking before tubal reversal surgery. This not only prepares patient and her partner physically, but also emotionally. Having tubal reversal surgery and a new pregnancy and baby is both very demanding and challenging.

However, before any woman is able to undergo the procedure to have the tubal ligation reversed the surgeon will need to determine whether they are good candidates for the procedure or not. Although this particular procedure is not right for every woman, in most cases it is the most successful and cost effective way for women who have been sterilized to have children naturally once more.

This is as compared to the alternative of an IVF treatment.
There is an up to 82% chance for a woman who undergoes tubal reversal to become pregnant using the statistics from one doctor’s study of his patients. On the other hand, there is only a 10 – 30% chance for women who undergo IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) treatment of getting pregnant on any one course of treatment.

So what is it that the surgeon will consider in order to determine whether the woman is a suitable candidate for undergoing this tubal reversal procedure? Remember the surgeon wants to increase the chances of a pregnancy after tubal ligation reversal.