A summary of reported pregnancies after hysteroscopic sterilization

• Published in: Journal of minimally invasive gynecology Vol. 14; no. 3; p. 271
• Main Authors: Levy, Barbara, Levie, Mark D, Childers, Meredith E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.05.2007
• Subjects: Female; Humans; Hysterosalpingography; Hysteroscopy; Pregnancy; Pregnancy, Unplanned; Sterilization, Reproductive - methods; Sterilization, Tubal - adverse effects; Sterilization, Tubal - methods
• ISSN: 1553-4650
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jmig.2006.11.007

The purpose of this article is to describe 64 unintended pregnancies reported by patients who had undergone hysteroscopic sterilization and to provide recommendations for avoiding post-procedure pregnancies. Sixty-four pregnancies out of an estimated 50,000 procedures were reported to the device manufacturer from 1997 through December 2005. Most occurred in patients without appropriate follow-up. Other causes included misread hysterosalpingograms, undetected preprocedure pregnancies, and failure to follow product-labeling guidelines. The risk of pregnancy with hysteroscopic sterilization may be reduced by educating patients about the necessity of follow-up, ensuring that patients use effective contraception before and after placement, following the instructions for use, and adhering to the hysterosalpingography protocol.