A tubal ligation is a form of female sterilization that is among the most effective methods of permanent birth control. During the procedure, a woman’s fallopian tubes are blocked so that a man’s sperm cannot fertilize the eggs. Every year, less than 1 percent of women who have had a tubal ligation become pregnant, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Tubal ligations are generally performed:

• After childbirth or an abortion. Some pregnant women decide before delivery or before having an abortion to have their tubes tied during the same hospital procedure.
  
  
• As a separate procedure. Usually performed with a thin instrument called a laparoscope, which is introduced to the body through a small incision. A new procedure called Essure is performed through the vagina.

Tubal ligations are generally safe, and recovery time is relatively brief. Although the procedure can be reversed, this is not always successful. For this reason, a woman should be sure she no longer wants to have children before she has a tubal ligation.