Hi Amy,

I am writing to you because I am having the most difficult time getting answers from anyone. One year ago I had a tubal ligation, and several months afterwards I started having problems. I went to my doctor and the nurse practitioner told me it sounded like "post tubal ligation syndrome". She had me come back to see the doctor, and he told me he had never heard of this condition before and said I was just depressed. I have had blood work done to eliminate hormone changes, an ultrasound came back normal, and my psychologist gave me a clean bill of health.

Why I am writing to you is because this is not a diagnosis accepted by the medical community and all I get is the runaround from everyone I write to. I have written to several women’s health organization as well as many other places. They place the blame on women not knowing what their menstrual cycle is really like because of birth control or pregnancy. I know exactly what my cycle was like as a teen and it is the same now. This should not be the focus. All the research I find is biased due to the focus only being on the menstrual cycle. It does not focus on the physiological/psychological side effects.

I find it to be outrageous that my problems are being overlooked and basically trying to be covered up. If you were to check out the forum for post tubal ligations you will see that there are numerous women suffering from this. Also check out Dr. Vikki Hufenagels site she believes in it.

This is a real problem, I know from personal experience. I will have to pay, myself, for a reversal so I can eliminate my problems because no insurance company will cover this. Please help me move forward with fighting this cause. If you need any more info from me let me know.

Rebecca

Rebecca,

I am writing a book on motherhood and feminism, so your letter was appropriately timed. I don't really have any resources to offer. Of course, there are several letters that have come into feminist.com on a related topic. Most come from women who want to have a tubal ligation, but are told that they can't or shouldn't. Of course, these "instructions" are often given to richer, whiter women, while women of color and/or poorer women are encouraged to limit their fertility. This shared company should confirm that you aren't alone in being ostracized for this choice and also for being badgered to question your choices.

You obviously know the reasons that you made your choice and because other people can't accept that, they want to challenge the choice you did make. Have you reached out to Our Bodies Ourselves, a feminist resource on health related issues? They might have some groups to direct you to. I hope that you are feeling better, emotionally and physically, and I do appreciate your sharing and sorry that you had to have your choices challenged under the guise of medical expertise.

— Amy