The safety and efficacy of tubal sterilization: an international overview

This article presents a synthesis of some of the major published studies on the efficacy and safety of tubal sterilization. The conclusions of this overview are that tubal sterilization is a safe operation, long-term sequelae of tubal sterilization have not been well documented, and the risk of pregnancy following tubal sterilization is less than 1 in 100. Continued study is needed to determine how to make a safe and effective procedure even safer and more effective.

Ectopic pregnancy in the United States 1970 through 1978

Trends of the incidence and mortality associated with ectopic pregnancy (EP) in the United States were examined for 1970 through 1978. The estimated number of EPs rose from 17,800 in 1970 to 42,400 in 1978, and the EP incidence rate rose from 4.5 per 1,000 reported pregnancies to 9.4 during the same time period. The risk of EP was higher for older women and nonwhite women. Over 2.5% of all reported pregnancies among nonwhite women aged 35 to 44 years were ectopic. The death-to-case rate for EP declined almost 75% during the study period but remained consistently higher for nonwhite women as compared with white women.

Mortality associated with fertility and fertility control: 1983

This analysis demonstrates that levels of mortality associated with all major methods of fertility control (tubal sterilization, the pill, IUD, condom, diaphragm, spermicides, rhythm and abortion) are low in comparison with the risk of death associated with childbirth and ectopic pregnancy when no fertility control method is used. The exceptions are the risks associated with pill use after the age of 40 for women who do not smoke, and with pill use after the age of 35 for smokers. The safest approach to fertility control is to use the condom and to back it up by abortion in case of method failure. Except for the lowest-risk method of fertility control (condom and abortion) and the highest (pill use by a smoker), most strategies of fertility control result in a similar risk of mortality until the woman reaches 35 years of age. At that point, risk from pill use rises more sharply than risk associated with other methods. The above conclusions are based on the lowest contraceptive failure rates reported by Schirm and his colleagues for married American women. If, instead, the highest failure rates are employed, use of the pill by a nonsmoker or the IUD clearly is safer than reliance on barrier methods or rhythm. As noted earlier, there are few women who make their contraceptive choices solely on the basis of perceived risk of mortality. Very few, for example, would consider abortion as a primary method of birth control; and for many, abortion would not be acceptable even as a backup for failed contraception. Although the risk of mortality resulting from use of the IUD is low, many women who have not yet had children might not want to face the increased risk of infertility problems from pelvic inflammatory disease that have been associated with use of this method.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Agreement between women's histories of oral contraceptive use and physician records

The histories of oral contraceptive (OC) use provided by women participating in a study of hepatocellular adenoma (HCA) were compared with records obtained from their physicians. In the HCA study two memory aids were used to assist women in their recall: a calendar of significant events during a woman's lifetime to which she might relate her use of OCs and a book of colour photographs of the 90 OC preparations available up to the time of the study. Using the number of months of a woman's history which could be checked against physician records (mean for all women of 33 months) as the denominator, the highest proportion of concordance was for month-specific duration of OC use (90%) with lower agreement for duration and brand (62%) and duration, brand, and dose (54%). Agreement was better for cases than for controls.

Complications of abdominal and vaginal hysterectomy among women of reproductive age in the United States. The Collaborative Review of Sterilization

Although hysterectomy was the most frequently performed major surgical procedure among women of reproductive age during the past decade, few recent studies have been conducted to determine the risk of complications. We examined data from the Collaborative Review of Sterilization, a prospective, multicenter, observational study coordinated by the Centers for Disease Control, to assess the comparative risks of complications among women undergoing hysterectomy by the abdominal and vaginal approaches. Between September, 1978, and August, 1981, 1,851 women from nine institutions were included in the study. Women who underwent vaginal hysterectomy experienced significantly fewer complications than women who had undergone abdominal hysterectomy. The difference was probably attributable to the prevalence and efficacy of prophylactic antibiotic use among the former group. Vaginal hysterectomy was associated with more unintended major surgical procedures but less febrile morbidity, bleeding requiring transfusion, hospitalization, and convalescence than abdominal hysterectomy. Vaginal hysterectomy with prophylactic antibiotics should be strongly considered for those women of reproductive age for whom either surgical approach is clinically appropriate.

Oral contraceptives and pelvic inflammatory disease

To study the association of the use of oral contraceptives and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), we analyzed data from a large multicenter case-control study of contraceptive use and serious gynecologic disorders. The analysis included data from interviews of 648 women hospitalized with an initial episode of PID and 2,516 hospitalized control subjects. The risk of PID for women using oral contraceptives in the 3 months prior to interview was 0.5 (95% confidence limits, 0.4 to 0.6) relative to women using no contraceptive method during this period. This association was not explained by differences between case subjects and control subjects in demographic variables, level of sexual activity, or medical history. The protective effect of current oral contraceptive use against PID was restricted to women using oral contraceptives for more than 12 months; past use of oral contraceptives did not exert a protective effect against PID. Annually, an estimated 50,000 initial cases of PID are prevented by oral contraceptive use; 12,500 hospitalizations are also averted by oral contraceptive use. Consequently, protection against PID is one of the most important noncontraceptive benefits of oral contraception.

Cumulative prevalence rates and corrected incidence rates of surgical sterilization among women in the United States, 1971--1978

The authors used data from the 1970 National Fertility Survey and Centers for Disease Control surveillance of surgical sterilizations to estimate the cumulative prevalences of hysterectomy and tubal sterilization among women of reproductive age in the United States between 1971 and 1978. In 1978, the cumulative prevalence rate of tubal sterilization was more than twice as high for women aged 15--44 years as it was in 1971 and at least three times as high for women under 30. Although the increase in the cumulative prevalence rate of hysterectomy was not as marked, by 1978, 19% of women aged 40--44 had undergone hysterectomy. The authors used the cumulative prevalence rate to estimate the population at risk for surgical sterilization, and calculated the corrected incidence rates for these procedures. While corrected incidence rates of tubal sterilization among women aged 15--44 doubled between 1971 and 1978, corrected hysterectomy rates remained stable. The largest age-specific increase in incidence rates of tubal sterilization was among women 40--44, with rates six times higher in 1978 than in 1971. These findings can be used to recompute incidence rates of endometrial and cervical cancers, abortions, and ectopic pregnancies, allowing more precise analysis of related trends.

Hysterectomy among women of reproductive age. Trends in the United States, 1970-1978

An estimated 3.5 million women aged 15 to 44 years in the United States underwent hysterectomy (excluding radical procedures) between 1970 and 1978. Data from the National Center for Health Statistics were used to study the influence of age, race, and geographic region on hysterectomy rates, surgical approach, and concurrent oophorectomy. The number and rate of hysterectomies increased between 1970 and 1972 but remained stable thereafter. Hysterectomy rates increased with age, and rates for black women slightly exceeded the rates for whites. Rates were consistently highest for women in the South and lowest for women in the Northeast. Women undergoing hysterectomy in the Northeast had the lowest percentage performed by a vaginal approach and the highest percentage performed in conjunction with bilateral oophorectomy. Women having a hysterectomy in the West had the highest percentage performed by a vaginal approach.

Barrier-method contraceptives and pelvic inflammatory disease

The protective effect of barrier-method contraception against pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) was examined by analyzing data from the Women's Health Study, a large multicenter case-control study. We compared the contraceptive methods used by 645 women hospitalized for initial episodes of PID with the contraceptive methods used by 2,509 control subjects reporting no history of PID. The risk of hospitalization for PID in women currently using barrier methods relative to women using all other methods and to women using no method of contraception was 0.6 (95% confidence limits, 0.5 to 0.9) for both comparisons. This protective effect was observed for both chemical and mechanical barrier methods, although it was not statistically significant for the former. The prevention of PID and its sequelae is one of the most important noncontraceptive benefits of barrier methods of contraception.

Deaths associated with laparoscopic sterilization in the United States, 1977-79

In 1979, the Centers for Disease Control began epidemiologic surveillance of deaths associated with tubal sterilization as part of an effort to assess the mortality risks associated with different methods of fertility control. The surveillance system identified nine deaths following laparoscopic sterilization in the United States from 1977 through 1979. The causes of these deaths and how some of them might have been averted are discussed.

Mortality risk associated with tubal sterilization in United States hospitals

Despite the millions of women who have undergone tubal sterilization in United States hospitals, little has been published about the risk of death from these procedures. To estimate a case-fatality rate of tubal sterilization, we combined data from the Commission on Professional and Hospital Activities and the National Center for Health Statistics with a review of the clinical circumstances for each woman whose death was identified as being potentially sterilization attributable. Considering all deaths temporally associated with tubal sterilization, we estimate that the case-fatality rate is nearly 8/100,000 procedures. When only deaths determined to be attributable to the sterilization operation per se are considered, the case-fatality rate is approximately 4/100,000 procedures, making death attributable to tubal sterilization a rear event.

Demographic trends in tubal sterilization: United States, 1970-1978

In the period 1970-1977, an estimated 4,236,000 women 15-44 years of age had tubal sterilization operations in United States hospitals. Both the number and the rate of tubal sterilizations increased each year from 1970-1977, but in 1978 both declined. Tubal sterilization rates for Black women were higher than for White women. Black women also tended to be younger at the time of tubal sterilization. For the nation as a whole, the mean age at the time of tubal sterilization remained constant at about 30 with the youngest age group having the highest proportion of never-married women.

Death following puncture of the aorta during laparoscopic sterilization

Lacerations of major vessels have been associated with use of the Veress needle and sharp trocar for laparoscopy. A death caused by puncture of the aorta during insertion of a Veress needle is reported. Deaths from major vessel laceration can be prevented by using proper technique for inserting the needle and trocar or choosing alternative methods of sterilization that do not require these instruments. Should major vessel laceration occur, prompt recognition and treatment may prevent death.

The impact of laparoscopy on tubal sterilization in United States hospitals, 1970 and 1975 to 1978

During the 1970s, tubal sterilization became an important method of fertility control in the United States. Over the same period laparoscopy emerged as an important innovation, one that has been associated with both a shift from postpartum to interval sterilization and a dramatic decrease in length of hospital stay required for sterilization. The use of laparoscopy has also been associated with an increase in hospital-based outpatient sterilization, particularly in the West. The number of sterilizations performed in hospitals and the use of laparoscopy for interval sterilization in hospitals both appear to have peaked. The laparoscope is an example of a technologic advance that has reduced medical care costs.

The declining length of hospitalization for tubal sterilization

We analyzed factors affecting the length of hospital stay for tubal sterilization in 1970 and 1975, using data from the National Center for Health Statistic's Hospital Discharge Survey. The average hospital stay for tubal sterilization declined from 6.5 nights in 1970 to 4.0 nights in 1975. Pregnancy status, region of residence, and race were important determinants of the length of hospital stay. One technological innovation, the use of the laparoscope for tubal sterilization, accounted for 39% of the total length-of-stay reduction from 1970 to 1975. General changes in medical care from 1970 to 1975, combined with the introduction of laparoscopy, averted 1,363,000 nights of hospitalization for tubal sterilization in 1975. Conservatively, this resulted in a savings of more than $200 million. About $80 million of this savings was directly attributable to laparoscopy. Even greater savings could have been achieved if sterilization techniques requiring shorter hospital stays had been more widely used.

Ectopic pregnancy and intrauterine contraceptive devices: new perspectives. The Women's Health Study

In the period 1965 through 1977 the number of ectopic pregnancies in the United States tripled. A collaborative multicenter case-control study was set up to examine ectopic pregnancy as well as several other suspected complications related to use of an intrauterine contraceptive device (IUD). To determine to what extent IUD use might be related to this increase, the authors analyzed 615 women who had had an ectopic pregnancy and 3453 controls. Most important, women who had never used an IUD were equally likely to have an ectopic pregnancy as women who had used an IUD. Looking at the comparative risks for current contraceptive users, all current users, including IUD users, were less likely to have had an ectopic pregnancy than women not currently using contraceptives. Likelihood of ectopic pregnancy was the same regardless of whether a copper-containing or an inert plastic IUD was used. Among current IUD users, those who had used an IUD for a long time (25 months or more) were 2.6 times as likely to have had an ectopic pregnancy as short-term (less than 25 months) users. This difference between long- and short-term IUD users persisted for some time (not longer than 1 year) after removal of the IUD. Use of the IUD probably did not play a role in the recent tripling of ectopic pregnancies in the United States.

Deaths associated with laparoscopic sterilization by unipolar electrocoagulating devices, 1978 and 1979

In 1978 and 1979, two women in the United States were reported to have died from electrical complications following sterilization with unipolar coagulating devices. Both deaths followed apparent bowel injuries occurring at the time of sterilization. Numerous reports have documented the electrical accidents associated with unipolar electrocoagulation. Because unipolar electrocoagulation has greater risk for these complications than alternative sterilization techniques, without proved greater benefits, we question the need for continuing its use in female sterilization.

Ethinyl estradiol and conjugated estrogens as postcoital contraceptives

Five study centers enrolled 1,311 women seeking postcoital contraception methods. Ethinyl estradiol was administered at 5 mg/day and conjugated estrogens at 30 mg/day for five consecutive days starting within 72 hours of unprotected coitus. Eleven pregnancies occurred in the 976 women who had a single unprotected coitus at midcycle. Based on published information, 69 pregnancies would have been expected if no contraceptives were used. Although both treatments were effective in preventing pregnancy, ethinyl estradiol seemed to be more effective. At the two centers alternately prescribing both drugs, none of 137 women treated with ethinyl estradiol became pregnant, while six of the 132 given conjugated estrogens became pregnant. Women whose treatment commenced on the first postcoital day seemed to have lower pregnancy rates than those whose medication was delayed to the second or third postcoital day regardless of which drug was used. Side effects were mainly limited to nausea that occurred in 70% and vomiting that was experienced by 33% of all women treated.

Demographic trends of tubal sterilization in the United States 1970-75

An estimated 2,300,000 women in the United States underwent tubal sterilizations in 1970-1975. During this period the rate of tubal sterilizations per 1,000 women 15-44 years of age rose from 4.7 to 11.7. We studied the influence on sterilization trends of four demographic variables: age, region of residence, race, and marital status. Women 25-34 years of age were twice as likely to be sterilized as older or younger women. Rates were about 40 per cent lower in the West than in the rest of the country. In 1970 rates for non-white women were double those for Whites. Rates for Whites rose faster than those for non-Whites, however, and by 1975 the rates were similar for the 2 races. Non-Whites still tended to be sterilized about one year younger than Whites, and marked regional differences existed in the race-specific rate trends. Rates rose more sharply for previously married women than for currently married women; by 1975 rates for these two groups were similar. Never married women had rates about 1/7 of those of currently married and previously married women. Among the never married, tubal sterilization rates for non-Whites were nine times higher than those for Whites.