One year ago today, I had a bilateral salpingectomy procedure as means of permanent birth control (sterilization). I kept a journal of my experiences from the first doctor appointment, through the surgery and my recovery up through two months post-operation. I'm sharing these journal entries here as a resource for anyone considering or undergoing a similar sterilization procedure.

I know I personally spent hours googling for first-hand accounts, stories, and photos of women who had salpingectomies. There were a few posts scattered around the internet and on message boards. Most were extremely brief, written long after the actual procedure when small details had faded from memory. And there were a handful of videos too, but those were also fairly limited and often focused on mothers who had the procedure in conjunction with a childbirth.

For me, as a patient, I wanted something truly comprehensive. I wanted nitty gritty details from start to finish on a day to day basis. And I something from the perspective of a childfree person. So when you cannot find the thing you need, you become the creator. Here is the comprehensive resource I was looking for when I began my journey. I hope it is helpful to others beginning theirs.

PERSONAL STATS

I'm 36 years old at the time of writing this. I'm a resident of Massachusetts, in the United States. I am employed full time. I have no preexisting health issues. I am fully insured under Blue Cross Blue Shield HMO Blue New England. I am happily in a committed relationship with a child-free man. And I have been on and off hormonal birth control for the last twenty years of my life.

BIRTH CONTROL HISTORY

I have taken Depo-Provera, Ortho-Tri Cyclen, Ortho-Tri Cyclen Lo, Ortho Cyclen, and (currently) Sprintec. I have taken many forms of hormonal birth control throughout my life in order to prevent pregnancy and have experimented with different brands due to the wide and unpredictable range of side effects that come with hormonal contraception. I am currently on Sprintec and I have been experiencing intense, crippling migraines. These migraines have included temporary auras (halos of light in my vision). In addition to the migraines, I've experienced periods of slight depression and unpredictable mood swings.

I've been living with hormonal birth control for much of my life thus far because the thought of going under anesthesia and having surgery is frankly terrifying. I've never done it and swallowing a tiny pill once a day seemed like an easy trade off. However at this point in life, the side effects are becoming unbearable.

And then there's my cousin Jennifer, who had a stroke two years ago because of her birth control. The stroke was caused by a blood clot, that was determined to be the result of the hormone estradiol, found in hormonal birth control. Jennifer suffered migraines and also smoked cigarettes prior to her stroke, which increased her risk of blood clots while on the pill. While I don't smoke, I have suffered migraines throughout my life, so the genetic risk is likely high for me as well. Scary stuff.

So, while I'm absolutely terrified of surgery, I'm even more terrified of having a stroke. And I'm physically, emotionally, and mentally fatigued at the notion of spending the next fifteen years of my life dealing with shitty side effects. It would also be a huge relief to never have to worry about forgetting a pill and the risk of an unplanned pregnancy. Two decades of my life have been punctuated with slight anxiety once every twenty eight days. It's no way to live.

POLITICAL CLIMATE

And the final factor in all of this, the one that's really motivating me to speed up the process, is the potential risk of losing access to affordable birth control and abortion services in the event of a sweeping post-election political upheaval. The Republicans are so very desperate to dismantle the ACA (that provides me with free birth control), to push for an overturn of Roe vs. Wade, and to secure a Trump presidency that will pave the way for legislation to strip women of all agency. The FiveThirtyEight statistical models currently predict a Clinton win, but they fluctuate every day and sometimes the margin of difference is so close it's frightening. An ACA repeal would be disaster, for me and for millions of Americans.

FIRST STEPS

So the road to sterilization begins now. The first step is to call my primary care physician and begin the conversation.