Dr. Marjorie Greenfield
Specializing in pregnancy and birth.
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 Ask Dr. Greenfield
Pregnancy after Tubal Ligation | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Greenfield,
If someone had her tubes tied and burned is there any chance to get pregnant? If so, can they carry it normally?
— Michelle in Lakeland, FL | | | ANSWER |
June 12, 2001 | | | Dear Michelle,
While meant to be a permanent procedure, tubal ligation occasionally fails to prevent pregnancy. When conception occurs, the gestation is usually within the uterus, and is no different than a pregnancy the woman would have had before the procedure.
Since she has had surgery on the tube, though, some failures of tubal ligation allow the sperm to get up, but don't allow the fertilized egg to travel down to the uterus. In this case an ectopic pregnancy (or tubal pregnancy) may develop. Ectopic pregnancy is a life-threatening situation for the mother. The pregnancy cannot grow to term, and as it starts to enlarge, the mother can have pain and internal hemorrhaging.
So the answer to you questions is--it depends on whether the pregnancy is in the uterus or in the tube. Since most tubal ligation failures lead to intrauterine pregnancy, usually the baby will develop normally. The mother should see a doctor as soon as she knows she is pregnant, though, to be sure the pregnancy is in the uterus and not in the tube.— by Marjorie Greenfield, M.D. |
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