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As a means of contraception, tubal ligation surgery has been used on millions of women in just the U.S. itself over the years. When researching this method, one can’t help but come upon stories about Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome. Women who suffer from this after effect of the surgery relate awful examples of the symptoms that they suffer. A basic search on the web on the topic will lead you to horrible story after horrible story.

A long list of thirty-five possible symptoms can be found when looking into the symptoms of Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome, or ptls for short, on different websites. However, when you read the personal stories of the women suffering from this after effect, you will most often read of longer bouts of and stronger PMS symptoms, bad mood swings, and very altered periods usually with severe bleeding so bad they cannot even leave home. Also suffered are migraines, no sex drive, weight gain and severe cramping.

These symptoms are bad enough for the women and their families suffering through them. But this is not all they face. In trying to find out what is wrong with them, they endure many tests from doctors leading to various different diagnoses even for the same woman from the different specialist she may visit. When none of their “fixes” bring any relief, the women have to face being told either to learn to live with it or be prescribed antidepressants as the symptoms are all in their heads. We even have one doctor calling ptls a “medical myth” on MedicineNet so, of course, these women are not actually suffering from anything “real”.

The other treatment options these women suffering ptls will most often hear appears to be going on birth control pills or to have a hysterectomy. Some doctors think that the reason for the problems is that after the tubal ligation the women are no longer taking birth control pills or that they have just gotten older. So the best way to fix it is put them back onto birth control pills or just get a hysterectomy.

Our doctor quoted above, the “medical myth”, says women should be removed from birth control pills several months in advance of the actual tubal ligation surgery. This will given them a chance to see what their periods and pms are really like without the hormones of the birth control pills. If the problems stem from age, I suppose you are just going to have “to learn to live with it.” But this advice does not seem to be pertinent to the women who were pregnant and get the tubal done at delivery or shortly thereafter. Nor does the age cause seem to relate to women who are in their 20’s.

Informing women about to undergo the tube tying surgery would be one thing that should be done. Most have no idea that ptls is even a possible complication to the surgery. Mostly they are told that there is a chance for an infection, hemorrhage or a problem related to the use of general anesthesia as you would have in any surgery. What is added for this particular surgery is the additional complication of an ectopic pregnancy. This information is from the FDA’s own website. The “Coalition for Post-Tubal Women” is trying to accomplish a change in the consent form. Better counseling about this possibility would be good as well but since many, dare I say most, doctors believe this to be a mythical syndrome, who knows if it will ever happen. At least let them know so they can do their own research and make their own decisions if this is something they want to risk.

While better information prior to the surgery would be good, it doesn’t help those who have already done it. For these women, there are the actions mentioned above which can be done such as going onto birth control pills, having a hysterectomy or just learning to live with it no matter how much it may impair their lives. One more option that some women don’t even know is available is to have a tubal ligation reversal surgery done. In the stories shared by women on the Internet, this latter surgery has brought much relief.

Going to the Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal forum will lead you to threads that address the issue of ptls. Women come asking if a tubal ligation reversal will really help them. Those who respond answer in the affirmative talking about all their previous symptoms and how they now have relief or improvement. An added side benefit is the possibility of now having another child though some say they don’t even care about that since the relief from post tubal ligation syndrome is so great.