Essure vs Tubal
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Essure vs Tubal
| Sat, 08-12-2006 - 11:07am |
Considering all of my options... while I can ask about different pills, and IUD's and all other forms of birth control all day long what I REALLY want is sterilization.
So if I could get some opinions about that too, it would really be helpful.
I know that a tubal is covered on my insurance, and I am waiting for a reply to find out if Essure is also covered.
I like the idea of no incisions or general anesthesia being required with Essure. I have never had surgery before and would like to avoid it if possible.
But I know that I do not want children. I never have. And I would love to not have to worry about any type of birth control again. My boyfriend is against having a vasectomy (Men!) and I am tired of taking pills.

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Hi Melissa,
Jill
Thank you for those links.
No matter what I end up with, I'll defintely be back with a full report!
I'm getting a tubal in 2 weeks, so I can come back and tell you more about it then (I'm very excited about it!)
My dr. isn't doing Essure right now, they seemed to think that the fact that you have to wait 3 months for it to be effective then come back in for xrays to check that it worked is a big deal.
Angela
Thanks for the reply.
I heard back from my insurance just now. They are not sure if the Essure procedure is covered or not. Because it is "relatively new" they say they need more information from my doctor to figure out if it's covered...
Why does this have to be so difficult???
I had a tubal just 2 months ago. It was definately right for me. I have 3 kids, the youngest is 8 and I wanted to be done with worrying about being pregnant. I had the tubal that goes through your belly button with another small incision at your pelvis. It was glued closed, so no stitches.
I had the procedure at about 8am and left for home around noon. I would talk to someone about the details of having any surgery so you'll know what you're getting into, for instance how your throat is a little sore afterward and if you want to be put under before you're in the OR or not, that kind of thing.
My only complaint is that you are put into stirrups so that if needed your dr can put an instrument into the vagina to manipulate (change angle/move) the uterus if needed. After it was explained to me why, I didn't have a problem with that. It's not painful or anything, but I had asked a lot of questions ahead of time and was never told about that part of it. I found out by accident when they were helping me onto the table and they had accidently put up the stirrups already (normally they wait till patient is under). A good example of why I advise patients to ask (insist on) to not be sedated until they are in the OR.
The post op pain wasn't too bad, kinda like having a bruised belly. I had to be careful with bending over, what kind of waistline I wore, kids hugging me, that kind of thing for about 3 days. I don't buy it that "some women go back to work the next day", but it was ok. I only took Ibuprofen for 3 days and didn't ever even need stronger drugs than that. I'd say that within a week I only had uncomfortablenes if my belly was bumped or pushed on it and within two I didn't think about it at all.
Hope that helps someone.
I just had the Essure procedure done three months ago. It was quick, relatively painless and the recovery was over that day. And, my insurance paid for it!!!
The only drawback is that you have to wait three months before you know if it worked so that means three more months of birth control, but worth it in the end. After the three months have passes, you will have to go in and have an xray taken to ensure it worked and that can be a bit painful when they insert the cathider to inject the fluid to see if the tubes have closed.
Again, I totally recommend doing it if your insurance pays for it.
Katie
Thanks for the reply. I have my consultation appointment in just a little over 2 weeks.
Wish me luck on convincing the doctor that this is the right choice for me...
Essure is less invasive than the tubal, as you know. There is no cutting involved. I had this procedure done at the same time as an endometrial ablation back in 12/04. I was under general anesthesia, but that's okay with me!
Essure involves the gyn placing tiny coils into the fallopian tubes, causing scar tissue to build up, therefore blocking the tubes. Another method of bc is necessary for 3 months after the procedure, and then in 3 months an HSG (hysterosalpingogram) is done to make sure that the tubes are indeed blocked.
Good luck.
V
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