Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Salpingectomy?ContraindicationsPurpose of Salpingectomy SurgeryHow to PrepareWhat to Expect on the Day of SurgeryRecovery
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is Salpingectomy?
Contraindications
Purpose of Salpingectomy Surgery
How to Prepare
What to Expect on the Day of Surgery
Recovery
The fallopian tube is the channel between the uterus and the ovaries which allows an egg to be transferred from an ovary to the uterus for a woman to become pregnant.
Salpingectomyis the removal of one or both of thefallopian tubesthat results in female sterilization. By removing this structure, it becomes almost physically impossible to become pregnant without in vitro fertilization.
It is generally an outpatient procedure for a laparoscopic approach, and will be an inpatient procedure with a short hospital stay if the surgery is performed. This surgery is not usually emergent, unless a patient is experiencing an ectopic pregnancy.
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The age of the woman and whether she already has biological children are taken into consideration because of the permanence of this type of sterilization. Previous surgeries or medical conditions such as morbid obesitymay prevent this procedure from being a possibility, but that is a decision for your surgeon to make.
Surgical sterilization should also be avoided during periods of high stress (for example, following miscarriage or a divorce) or while under pressure from a partner. Research has shown that women who make this decision at younger than 30 years old are more likely to regret having the procedure for the purpose of sterilization.
How Common Is Female Sterilization in the United States?Female sterilization is the most commonly used form of contraception worldwide, and 25.1% of reproductive-age women in the United States use sterilization as their method of contraception. This equates to an estimated 600,000 surgical sterilizations performed annually in the United States.
How Common Is Female Sterilization in the United States?
Female sterilization is the most commonly used form of contraception worldwide, and 25.1% of reproductive-age women in the United States use sterilization as their method of contraception. This equates to an estimated 600,000 surgical sterilizations performed annually in the United States.
Potential Risks
The risks of laparoscopic salpingectomy are minimal and depend on the approach. Most of the risks are related togeneral anesthesia. As with any surgery, there are risks for potential complications associated with having this type of procedure, which include:
Prior to undergoing surgery, patients will have a pregnancy test, a screening for sexually transmitted infections, aPap smear, and an ultrasound if there are any suspected pelvic masses.
This surgery may be performed for the purpose of sterilization or in tandem with removal of other female organs in the treatment of gynecologiccanceror other medical conditions. When patients are believed to have ovarian or uterine cancer, surgery is one way to diagnose the cancer.
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Depending on the patient, the surgeon will decide if all of the pelvic organs (uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes) need to be removed. Also during surgery, samples of lymph nodes will be taken. These will be examined in a lab to determine if the cancer has spread from one area to the surrounding tissues.
A single fallopian tube is typically removed in the treatment of ectopic pregnancy, when the egg is fertilized in the fallopian tube and becomes implanted in the tube instead of the uterus.
Complete removal of the fallopian tube compared withtubal ligation(burning, banding, or clipping of the fallopian tube and leaving it behind) is associated with lower risks ofovarian cancerlater in life.
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This procedure will be scheduled through your doctor’s office in advance. Choosing to have salpingectomy surgery for sterilization is considered elective, as there are other ways to prevent pregnancy.
For suspected cancer cases, it is necessary to have surgery because it is the one of the first steps in treatment of gynecologic cancer. You should expect to take the day off from work for the procedure, and you may need one or more days to recover before returning to work.
Location
Salpingectomy takes place in a hospital operating room or outpatient surgery center with a surgical team of a surgeon, resident, physician assistant or nurse practitioner, surgical nurses, scrub technologists, and an anesthesia team to monitor the patient under general anesthesia.
Food and Drink
Medications
Patients should provide a thorough list of current medications and alert the surgeon to any changes in or skipped medications on the day of surgery. The surgeon will determine if medications that cause increased bleeding should be continued or stopped.
It’s essential to let your surgeon know about any prescribed medications, over-the-counter medications, supplements, vitamins, or recreational drugs you are using.
What to Wear
It’s important to arrive on the day of surgery wearing comfortable pants, shoes, and potentially a sweater or jacket because the hospital can be cold.
What to Bring
Bring a photo ID and your insurance cards on the day of the surgery. A support person will be required to drive you home from the hospital. You will not be able to drive due to anesthesia medications given during the procedure that would impair your driving ability.
Pre-Op Lifestyle Changes
As with any surgery, it’s critical to stop smoking prior to surgery because it can cause delayed wound healing or lead to postoperative surgical site infections and other healing complications. It is recommended to stop smoking at least four weeks prior to surgery to mitigate complications.
On the day of the salpingectomy, give yourself extra time to find parking and to locate the surgery check-in area in the hospital. You should check in at the predetermined arrival time to give the pre-surgical teams ample time to prepare you for surgery.
Before the Surgery
In the preoperative area on the day of the surgery, a nurse will assess your vital signs, weight, pregnancy status (if applicable), and blood sugar level (if applicable). Patients will remove their clothes and jewelry, and change into a surgical patient gown. Documents such as surgical and anesthesia consents will be reviewed and signed.
The anesthesia team will complete another thorough assessment to determine any risks to undergoing general anesthesia. An IV (intravenous) catheter will be placed to provide any medications that will be needed during surgery.
Upon entering the operating room, it will be very cold and already set up with a special surgical bed, medical equipment and monitors, and numerous instruments needed for surgery. You will go to sleep on your back, and the surgical team will position you for surgery after the anesthesia team places the breathing tube (endotracheal tube) that is hooked up to the ventilator for breathing.
The surgical team will prep the skin of the surgical site with an antiseptic solution, and sterile drapes will be placed around the area to maintain a clean working area throughout the surgery.
4 Main Types of Anesthesia and How They’re Used
During the Surgery
The steps of the laparoscopic salpingectomy are as follows:
After the Surgery
The patient will be brought out of surgery to the post-anesthesia recovery unit, where they will recover for two to four hours. As with any surgery, there will be pain following surgery. Most patients will be discharged home the same day, depending on how well the patient is feeling following the procedure.
Most people return back to normal activities and routines within a week. Post-operative symptoms can include:
Nausea and Vomiting After Surgery
Healing
A Word From Verywell
Salpingectomy surgery results in sterilization, but it can also remove cancerous tissue. While the procedure is minimally invasive, it does carry small amounts of risk.
Tubal sterilization does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases. Women undergoing this surgery should carefully consider the consequences of permanent sterilization to prevent sterilization regret.
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Marino S, Canela CD, Nama N.Tubal sterilization. StatPearls.
Zerden ML, Castellano T, Doll KM, Stuart GS, Munoz MC, Boggess KA.Risk-reducing salpingectomy versus standard tubal sterilization: lessons from offering women options for interval sterilization.South Med J.2018 111(3), 173–177. doi:10.14423/SMJ.0000000000000779
Sørensen LT.Wound healing and infection in surgery—the clinical impact of smoking and smoking cessation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Arch Surg.2012;147(4):373–383. doi:10.1001/archsurg.2012.5
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