Three women’s stories appear in the DAILY MAIL newspaper… about Post-tubal ligation.
Why more women are undergoing sterilisation reversal – after claiming op has ruined their health…
Maureen Thomas (right) came to Featureworld after suffering agonising side effects from a sterilisation operation she underwent twenty years ago. She was joined by Featureworld interviewees Anna Grant and Wendy Owen – who’d all suffered from pain following their operations.
They had all undergone a sterilisation procedure where their fallopian tubes – which carry an egg from the ovary to the uterus – were tied with clips. This stops the egg from being fertilised and a pregnancy occurring. Yet while the operations all seemed to be successful, all were suffering from a little-known condition called Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome or PTLS. The main symptom of PTLS is pain, which comes any time of the day or month.
And barely anything has been written on it prior to this article which appears in the Daily Mail.
Maureen, 53, was typical of a woman with post tubal ligation syndrome. She has suffered from severe stabbing groin pain and backache. The mum to two grown up sons was constantly going to GP appointments to find out the cause. And sometimes the pain was so severe she needed to walk with a stick.
The pain was so bad that Maureen ended up taking handfuls of painkillers every day. Yet, although she was sent for various tests such as MRI scans, doctors could never find the cause.
However talking with a friend one day Maureen found herself saying that until she was in her early thirties she never had back pain. The friend asked what happened in her thirties and it was then Maureen recalled something she’d previously believed was unconnected – aged 31 she was sterilised.
She realised all her back problems had started shortly after that operation. She googled ‘pain after sterilisation’ and was amazed to discover a syndrome called post tubal ligation. And she was far from the only woman complaining about the exact pain she’d been suffering for the last 20 years. It is recognised in the US and is talked about on many forums.
She went to see her GP who referred her to a gynaecologist. Fortunately he had heard of post tubal ligation syndrome and agreed to take the clips out. In September 2012 they were finally removed and the stabbing pains in her back miraculously disappeared.
Maureen cannot believe how much better she feels.
Having done further research Maureen is now saving up to pay £4,000 to have her tubes repaired. Right now they are still damaged and as she occasionally gets some low backache, she believes this is he cause. Maureen says research shows tubes that are not reconnected restrict blood flow and this can cause irritation and pain.
As there has been little research into post tubal ligation syndrome, the cause can only be guessed at. But one gynaecologist Featureworld spoke with believes the clips could cause inflammation or low-grade infection. Unfortunately it’s possible that this happens years after successful surgery, which is why many women and their doctors will not link the two.
All the women very much hope that this feature will raise awareness of this little known condition not only within the medical profession – many doctors are unsympathetic mostly because they’ve never heard of PTLS – but also help women who suffer from pain following a sterilisation.
Maureen says: “I am absolutely delighted that Alison and the Daily Mail took up my suggestion to do a feature on PTLS. I have suffered terribly and want doctors to take this syndrome seriously and hope other women don’t go through what I’ve done.”
My thanks to consultant gynaecologists Dr Bryan Beattie (Innermost Secrets) and Mr Clive Pickles (BMI Hospital Nottingham) for all their help with this article.
Read the article in the Daily Mail
Have you been sterilised? Perhaps you regretted it or maybe you had it carried out through choice at a very young age because you didn’t want children? We are always looking for stories about sterilisation. Contact us with your story using the form to the right of this page>>>
i have suffered years of this pain back ache and lots of the symptoms of PTLS i was sterilised at the age of 27 in Dublin which was not my choice ..after being in a very abusive relationship, i am like many women trying to get these filshie clips taken out for health reasons and not one Doctor believes in this that i have seen , i thought i was the only one untill i came across the PTLS website and thanks to the women on there im understanding more.
i just wish the Doctors would even look into this ..they are quick enough to do this but not to undo it
I’ve just spoke to Alison and told her my story such a lovely lady and I know how all u women feel am still suffer as I write this but I won’t give in my fight and hope u women don’t to
I believe every women should be warned about ptls, I’m 28 and had mine done 10 months ago, since I have had nothing but problems, the doctor kept putting it down to age, viral infection had all the tests done and nothing came of it until I went searching on the web, I ticked off all the boxes, and since learning I have an allergy to titanium ( nickel) those clips.. The fishlie clips are made from titanium, I gathered all info and bombarded my doctor with it, and he believes me! I wanted my tubes tied for as long as I could remember, and to have this happen is a real slap in the face… A once was healthy fit young girl now feels like a little old lady, and it’s just not the pain and the mental side of things.. It’s everything from contraction like cramps, really bad skin- and I meaning really sore bad huge red acne which I have never had in my life, weight gain… Bloating and extreme bloating, hips, no sex drive appetite increase, i now have a gluten intolerance which I have never had… Carbs play up on me which I never had, I now like sweet foods, I never even had an appetite before and now I could easily eat all day ( I don’t) but that’s how it feels…bad periods, that come every 2 weeks now and painful it’s hell!! Who ever reads this my 2 cents of advice never get a tubal ligation, and tell every women not to aswell!
I had mine done two years ago, worst desision of my life, I have exactly thde sa!e sy!proms as you but also my hair is falling out and I have anxiety and I get so confused now specially if I’m out on own. Its so unfair we are not told about pts its ruined my life
I’ve suffered with most of these symptoms for ten yrs now and missed out on a lot of time with my children due to this problem I’ve been diagnosed with depression anxiety and a lot of other things as no one will listen it’s about time people are made aware of this I was only twenty three and advised this was my only option as I was highly fertile
I suffered with ptls and now had a reversal. I have a post tubal ligation syndrome UK support group. Please join if you want help/advice x
Do you know where I can get the clips removed in the UK. My doctor won’t believe it’s the clips that is causing the pain I’ve had for 20 years. I need help!
Sorry the Group is on Facebook x
Had mine 3 years ago and just wish the doctors would believe me or help. I have put on so much weight but yet can’t eat properly. I am so tired with the pain and constant itching of the skin. I can’t stand for long and my twins are missing out on the mum I once was. My relationship is suffering too as I am so snappy at times for no reason. I just want to feel normal again.
I like many other women learned the truth the hard way. I too was a filshie clip sufferer. I was not told prior to ligation the clips would be used but woke up with them none the less after a c section. I was happy with my choice, I was done having children, little did I know I would eat my words when I said “I’ll never be getting this undone” when the doctor said if I ever changed my mind I would have a higher success rate at reversal. The onslaught of symptoms that followed from day one was absurd. I could barely move my legs for the first 2 weeks. Such agonizing pain I had to have assistance to get from the bed to the bathroom. I had to prop myself up to stand. As weeks wore on the pain didn’t go away I just learned to deal with it and it became a little more random in the severity of stabbing. Filshie clips have a WARNING on the brochure that they may cause random abdominal pains, did I get that brochure? NO, nor do most women that join the support group. I believed my doctors when they said my pain was due to a “rough delivery” and did not “put together” all the other symptoms that followed my ligation until a year after surgery when I googled “post ligation c section pain”….that’s when I learned about PTLS. I’ve become a women’s advocate since having my reversal, a reversal that gave me my life back. I still do not want children but the risk of having another was worth it if it meant I could live again and take care of the ones I already had. Bless the women that are brave enough to tell their stories and reach a world wide audience. Ignore the naysayers for they do not know the pain we have endured until they have walked a mile in our shoes.
I wish I could truly share the heart ache and suffering that I believe PTLS has caused me and my family.
I was sterilised in 2007 at 25 years old and since then life has dramatically changed! In 2011 I was diagnosed with a little known neurological disorder called FND (functional neurological disorder) it’s believed to be a somatisation disorder meaning my body transfers emotional and psychological distress into physical symptoms. It took me three years to come to the conclusion that the deep routed regret my sterilisation has caused may very well of caused my FND.. 3 weeks ago after reading an article I found out that the symptoms I have been led to believe are FND are in fact all listed as symptoms of PTLS! So now either way, sterilisation has affected every aspect of my life! I need to get a reversal to cure my pain and possibly erase my symptoms!
I am 59 I was sterilised about 1987 and 2 to 3 years later after gardening I started getting a pain in middle of my lower right abdominal which went into my back and front (it was inside) doctors could not find anything wrong had X-ray mri lots of physio but nothing seemed to help. Pain was worse when bending so I stopped doing things that aggravated it, gardening, housework, mucking out (had horses at the time) in the end had pain control by injections into the back in theatre. This helped for a year but the feeling was still there in my abdomin and I became almost rigid so standing and lying down was ok but sitting, bending was a problem. Have been like this for years and take pain killers so I can carry on living a restricted life. Last sept 2014 after a long walk about 2 hours when I bent down something inside (where the pain is) popped and I was in agony and struggled to walk as every step onto my right leg was agony. Went to docs and after tests on bladder, kidneys and ultrscan on ovaries all is ok. Also had X-ray which showed metal in the place where the pain has come from all these years. The Drs so far can’t say what the metal is (even though I am sterilised). The Drs seem to be in denial and won’t believe that it is the clips. Or are they frightened of the damage the clips have done?
Hi all,
I had my clips done 3 years ago. Since been having sharp pains in my hips back achs achy legs triedness..what can I do? I can’t afford to have them taken out any advice would be great x
I have been researching for others who had filche clips as I did. I had mine some 22 years ago and honestly could not have put two & two together that the pain I was having was due to the filche clips. One of mine has dislodged into my upper abdomen & the other has imbedded itself right into my Fallopian tube. The pain is unbearable. Like many women across the globe, Dr’s just did not take it seriously. A few years ago the Dr did try to take it out but failed & I was left feeling worse. I even felt they were laughing at me & thought I was making up my symptoms, which I am clearly not. The pain is so bad that it affects my day to day life, my relationships in family & my working life. I am looking into legal issues as I was not informed about any side affects or post op issues. I was 26 yrs of age when I was sterilised and the consultant at the time had forced me to have the sterilisation. I pray that this time the Dr is successful in taking one of the filche clips out. The other in the upper abdomen, well I was told that’s a different department so I need to be referred by my GP again so that it can be investigated, but the Dr seems to think the pain is not related to the filche clip. The pinching pain and spasms are so bad I wish sometimes the Dr could feel it to believe it. Great forum.
Hi i had my sterilisation 5 years ago when i was coersed pressured forced and literally given 10 minutes t sign the forms i had them constantly bombarding me to be sterilised even after saying no the doctors an hospital continue to fob me off saying im fine but im epileptic and the seizures are 10 worse thanthey were before it was done im bleeding nearly all the time and im tired not eating well and in agony all the time wiv my back and stomach an would really want it reverse as it is affecting me my children and my family in every way u could think of the consultant who done it an forced me into it said shed reverse it if i wanted her too an has now disappeared to work aboard
Thank you for speaking about this!!!!!
I actually had anaphylaxis episodes and never before food allergies after my tubal ligation. My *flower itched, burned and felt like a hedgehog moved in. It literally broke my orgasm, and I’m sorry to be so frank but if they were doing this to men, the practice would have been stopped long ago or came with warnings at the very least. Sex drive, manic episodes of rage and depression, acne, weight gain, anxiety and heart problems, the list is endless. I am in a few different fb groups with thousands (in each group) of other women who are learning their doctor did this with no warning what so ever and quite the opposite, once a tl is performed and you go back to see a doctor for massive bleeding, clots and other said side effects, you’re discredited and given psych drugs and among other things birth control?!?!?!….You mean to tell me ALLLLLL these doctors don’t think Perscribing birth control to (sterilized? !?!) tl women and giving 29 year olds hysterectomys (that’s there go to fix all=a hysterectomy )
Let me tell you
I paid 6400 cash (+travel)
I untied my tubes, against doctors advice, (the only doctor I listened to was the reversal specialist I sought out over a 2 year time period) and I haven’t had a near death anaphylaxis episode since.????!!!!!!!!!
That in itself is H U G E
Do you know what anaphylaxis is like????!!!!!
The reason I speak out about this is because tl needs to come with warnings. It is leading us to zero quality of life over night.
You know the talc lawsuits?
I’m curious as to how many of them had tl.
Contact me anytime.
Thank you for this article.
Xoxo
-Sadie Rone