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Tubal ligation

To perform a laparoscopic tubal ligation, the doctor makes two tiny incisions in the lower abdomen and inserts a lighted viewing instrument called a laparoscope into one of the incisions. He or she inserts another instrument into the other incision to permanently close off the fallopian tubes. The tubes are closed off by either looping and banding them with rubber rings, pinching them closed with metal or plastic clips, burning them with an electric current, or cutting and tying them off with stitches.

Looped and banded

Pinched with clip

Burned

Cut and tied

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are infections that usually spread from one person to another through sexual contact. Although most STDs are transmitted through vaginal or anal intercourse, other forms of sexual contact, such as oral sex, can also transmit some STDs. Although anyone who is sexually active can contract an STD, about two thirds of people who have STDs are age 25 or younger. About 15 million new STD cases occur each year in the United States.

Factors that increase your risk of contracting an STD include having more than one sex partner, having a sex partner who has more than one sex partner, not using condoms (see next page), and having a history of other STDs. To reduce your risk of contracting an STD, abstain from sex or limit the number of sex partners you have and use a latex condom every time you have vaginal, oral, or anal sex.

All STDs can be treated, and most can be cured. If you have symptoms or think that you may have been exposed to an STD, contact your doctor, your local health department, or an STD or family planning clinic (such as Planned Parenthood) for confidential testing and treatment. If you are sexually active and are not in a monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner, you should be tested for STDs regularly. Because STDs often occur together, people who have one STD should be tested for others.

While you are being treated for an STD, you still can pass the infection to a sex partner. And even after successful treatment, you can easily become reinfected through sexual contact with an infected partner. For these reasons, your doctor will recommend that you and your partner be treated at the same time and that you both avoid all sexual contact until your treatment has been completed and you have no symptoms. Your doctor will tell you when it is safe to resume sexual activity.

Safer Sex

Abstinence (not having sex) is the only sure way to protect yourself from STDs. However, if you are sexually active, taking the following precautions will significantly reduce your risk of contracting an STD:

• Have sex with only one partner who has sex only with you. Ask all potential sex partners about their sexual history and intravenous (IV) drug use before becoming physically intimate.

• Use a latex condom every time you have vaginal, oral, or anal sex. Use only water-based lubricants. Do not use a condom after its expiration date or if it has been damaged in any way. Never reuse a condom.

• Keep in mind that STDs can be transmitted during sex using sexual aids or body parts other than the penis, such as fingers.

• Note that although spermicides kill some infectious microorganisms, they are formulated to kill sperm and are meant to be used along with condoms, not as a substitute. In addition, spermicides (including those containing nonoxynol-9) are not effective in preventing STDs, including HIV infection.

Although condoms provide effective protection against most STDs, they cannot always completely block contact with the bacteria or viruses that cause STDs. For this reason, always look for any signs of STDs, such as sores on the penis or around the vagina, in your sex partner. Because STDs do not always produce obvious signs, ask your partner directly. If you still have any doubts, don’t have sex.

Chlamydia

Chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States.