Definition

Noun: - A surgical sterilization procedure for women: A permanent method of birth control where a woman's fallopian tubes are blocked, tied, cut, or sealed to prevent eggs from traveling from the ovaries to the uterus, thus preventing pregnancy.

Usage

This term is used specifically in medical, healthcare, and personal health contexts to refer to the surgical procedure. - It is a formal, technical term. - It is used as a countable noun (e.g., a tubal ligation, to have a tubal ligation).

Examples

• After having three children, she decided to have a tubal ligation.
• Tubal ligation is considered a highly effective form of permanent contraception.
• The doctor explained the risks and benefits of a tubal ligation before the surgery.

Advanced Usage

• "to undergo a tubal ligation": to have the surgical procedure performed.
  • She chose to undergo a tubal ligation for personal health reasons.
• "reversal of a tubal ligation": a subsequent surgery that attempts to restore fertility by reconnecting the fallopian tubes.
  • Although possible, reversal of a tubal ligation is a complex microsurgery and is not always successful.

Variants and Related Words

• Sterilization (n): The general act or process of making someone unable to reproduce; tubal ligation is one form of female sterilization.
• Bilateral tubal ligation (BTL) (n): A more precise clinical term specifying that both fallopian tubes are ligated.
• "Tubes tied" (idiomatic phrase): A common informal expression for tubal ligation.
  • She got her tubes tied after her last child was born.

Synonyms

• Female sterilization: The broader category of procedures that includes tubal ligation.
• Surgical contraception: A general term for birth control methods involving surgery.

Related Phrases

• Post-tubal ligation syndrome (PTLS) (n): A debated term referring to a set of symptoms (e.g., menstrual changes) some women report after the procedure. (Note: This is a compound term listed here as a related concept, not as a definition of the target word "tubal ligation").

Notes

• Tubal ligation is distinct from a hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus), which also causes sterility but is a different procedure often performed for other medical reasons.
• The procedure is intended to be permanent, though pregnancy, while very rare, can still occur (ectopic pregnancy is a serious risk if it does).

Noun

1. a sterilization procedure with women; both Fallopian tubes are tied in two places and the tubes removed in between the ligations