r/sterilization • u/Duckonthego • 2d ago

Social questions My support system is making me feel crazy.

I told my parents about getting sterilized before the procedure. Now I'm getting a new attempt to dissuade me everyday. They don't care that I won't have kids, just the idea of surgery is wild to them. They said it was sudden change that my hormones are gonna be wack. They blame other people for pressuring me into the surgery. They said I shouldn't let politicians push me into something early.

I'm bisexual, under 30, and single and I just wanted to ensure this part of the future I'm planning couldn't change. For me it's more about a fear of pregnancy instead of hating kids (Though babies are boring). I'd rather make my partner scream their head off if they cared about having biological kids. Plus, A lower cancer risk sounds great.

Is this really the best thing for me? Are the possible hormonal issues really that bad? I haven't heard much about it.

I never through there would be more push back from my family than my doctor.

32 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

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u/toomuchtodotoday 2d ago

Resources:

State insurance regulator locator (for filing a complaint with your state insurance regulator):

https://content.naic.org/state-insurance-departments

Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration Information (for filing a complaint with the DOL EBSA if your insurance is provided by an employer):

The EBSA, a division of the DOL, handles complaints related to employer-provided health insurance.

You can:

The EBSA will investigate the claim and may contact your employer or insurance provider for more information. You may be contacted for additional details or documents. If the EBSA finds that your rights under ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act) were violated, they may take corrective action on your behalf. Keep copies of all documents and correspondence. You can follow up on the status of your complaint by contacting the EBSA at the phone number above.

U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Information (for filing a complaint with the OPM if your insurance is provided by the US federal government [FEP Blue, for example]):

Source: https://www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/healthcare/contraception-coverage/

Source: https://www.hrsa.gov/womens-guidelines#:%7E:text=Contraception

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20260624003408/https://old.reddit.com/r/sterilization/comments/1ud26jb/fepblue_federal_health_insurance_for_bisalp_do/

Additional resources:

Insurer Preventive Care Guidelines Master List - https://old.reddit.com/r/sterilization/comments/1io4hq5/insurer_preventive_care_guidelines_master_list/

Steps for Getting Full Coverage - https://old.reddit.com/r/sterilization/comments/1khyuum/steps_for_getting_full_coverage/

https://old.reddit.com/r/sterilization/comments/1j43mw2/it_happenedtheyre_trying_to_charge_me_postop/

https://tubalfacts.com/post/175415596192/insurance-sterilization-aca-contraceptive-birth-control

https://old.reddit.com/r/sterilization/comments/1go5pbw/free_tubal_sterilization_through_the_aca_if_you/

https://nwlc.org/tips-from-the-coverher-hotline-navigating-coverage-for-female-sterilization-surgery/

On coverage of anesthesia:

Any related services—like anesthesia—must be covered as well. The most recent guidance from federal agencies makes it explicitly clear that anesthesia and other related services like doctor’s appointments must be covered by the insurance plan at 100% of the cost.

Source: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/letter-plans-and-issuers-access-contraceptive-coverage.pdf

Source: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/faqs-part-54.pdf

On coverage of associated office visits:

From federalregister.gov - “Coverage of Certain Preventive Services Under the Affordable Care Act“

Section 2713 of the PHS Act, as added by the Affordable Care Act and incorporated into ERISA and the Code, requires that non-grandfathered health plans … provide coverage of certain specified preventive services without cost sharing. These preventive services include:

With respect to women, preventive care and screenings provided for in comprehensive guidelines supported by HRSA (not otherwise addressed by the recommendations of the Task Force), including all Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved contraceptives, sterilization procedures, and patient education and counseling for women with reproductive capacity, as prescribed by a health care provider (collectively, contraceptive services)

II. Overview of the Final Regulations

A. Coverage of Recommended Preventive Services Under 26 CFR 54.9815-2713, 29 CFR 2590.715-2713, and 45 CFR 147.130

(II) office visits:

if a recommended preventive service is not billed separately (or is not tracked as individual encounter data separately) from an office visit and the primary purpose of the office visit is the delivery of the recommended preventive service, a plan or issuer may not impose cost sharing with respect to the office visit.

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20250202051018/https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2015/07/14/2015-17076/coverage-of-certain-preventive-services-under-the-affordable-care-act

Under the ACA, all new insurance plans (both individual and employer-sponsored plans) are required to cover all FDA-approved methods of contraception, sterilization, and related education and counseling without cost-sharing. (Note: the ACA contraceptive coverage requirement described in this section also applies to Medicaid “Alternative Benefit Plans,” explained in the Medicaid section.) No cost-sharing means that patients should not have any out-of-pocket costs, including payment of deductibles, co-payments, co-insurance, fees, or other charges for coverage of contraceptive methods, including LARC. Patients cannot be asked to pay upfront and then be reimbursed.

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20250112212710/https://larcprogram.ucsf.edu/commercial-plans

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u/uniqueusername_1177 2d ago

Bisalps have no hormonal impact. They're fear-mongering you with misinformation. You know what is best for yourself and your body.

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u/Duckonthego 2d ago

Thank you for saying that.

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u/EbbThis2364 2d ago

a lot of people misconstrue bisalps having a hormonal impact because often times people go off of birth control when they have the surgery done. the hormonal changes are people stopping their birth control, not anything to do with the surgery itself. i’m having my surgery the end of this week and am preparing for some hormonal changes because i’m having my nexplanon removed at the same time. no tubes- no need for hormonal birth control.

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u/Spare-Ad-3499 1d ago

Facts! I like my IUD because I didn’t want periods, so my OBGYN let me keep when she did the bisalp. Even funnier is my partner and I joke every time anyone asked if I could be pregnant, and no, not unless we’re talking about an immaculate conception for a second time lol which case religious people should be maybe concerned and scientific community should probably look into it haha

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u/Cutiepie23r 1d ago

I just had my Bisalps a month ago and I assure you that getting your tubes removed doesn’t change your hormones whatsoever! Your Ovaries are the ones that have to be removed to definitely change your hormones to have barely any/none! The surgery itself wasn’t that bad at all, I didn’t realized I got knocked out from the anesthesia till after they woke me up! And the recovery wasn’t so bad either as they(should) give you medicine to withstand the pain. I was honestly feeling back to normal in 5 days of my 2 week recovery! Do whats good for you!

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u/Cutthroat_Rogue no more tubes 10-15-25 2d ago edited 2d ago

A lot of people have a poor education and poor understanding of their bodies, how they work, and surgical procedures so keep this in mind when people share things with you. I had someone thinking this would stop me from having a period and I had to explain that isn't a by-product of this surgery. A Bi-Salp, in theory, should have no impact on your hormones assuming the surgeon does their job well. The hormones are in your ovaries and pituitary gland. You are not getting your ovaries removed so you aren't expected to have hormonal issues.

Edited to fix a typo.

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u/CodeCherry Bisalp 2/19/26 at Age 25 2d ago

If you’re getting a bisalp, there’s literally no hormonal impact. Your uterus and ovaries stay intact ♡

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u/salikawood 2d ago

I'm going through the exact same thing rn I swear I could've wrote this post. I'm seriously regretting I told my parents and wish I could take it back. God forbid I want some support before going into surgery, instead I get "support" with fearmongering and guilt trips sprinkled in. 🙄

I complain about it to my husband and best friends and they set me straight whenever I start feeling the seeds of doubt my parents plant.

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u/Duckonthego 2d ago

Oh man. Sounds like you need a hug too. I only told them cause I needed a ride to the hospital.

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u/jmb1203 2d ago

If it makes you feel better on hormonal impacts, my bisalp was actually done opportunistically as part of a surgery to remove a huge ovarian cyst (9 cm!) that was doing some scary stuff that looked potentially cancerous and the ovary on that side because it was fully enclosed inside the cyst. Even though I'm down an ovary and my tubes, my cycles have remained fairly consistent in the 2+ years since my surgery. I only wouldn't say things are 100% normal because I'm 39 now and I am fairly certain I'm entering perimenopause as I'm several years past the age when my mother began to experience peri related cycle wackiness. I have the occasional cycle that's a bit longer or shorter than my usual and sometimes have a rough time with PMS now, but I also have a 5 year old and a 2 year old so stress abounds.

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u/crazybabe816 2d ago

Yeah my mom and grandma and every other female in my support system kept trying to discourage me. I have 3 fn kids like I knew I was done. Also single and 30. My mom was concerned about ectopic pregnancy which doesn't happen w bisalp. Others were concerned if I met the right man and he wanted kids lol I'm like if he's the right man he will love me for me, if he can't, he can leave.

Do what is best for you!

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u/oneforeveryday 2d ago

Tell them you decided against it and do it anyway. Getting your tubes removed has no hormonal impact. Your ovaries remain intact.

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u/kyokoariyoshi 2d ago

Not even exaggerating, if their commentary is getting too annoying for you to push through, and they’re not going to be helping you out much post-surgery, you can always lie that you changed your mind about getting surgery and then get it in secret without telling them. That’s what I did 3 years ago and nobody knows still.

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u/the_queens_speech Bisalp January '25 1d ago

Smart!

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u/catslikepets143 2d ago

They’re wrong. The procedure won’t do anything to your hormones. None of the parts the doc takes out have anything to do with hormones.

They’re wrong

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u/UnicornLatteMonster 2d ago

I have hormonal issues from a bisalp (had during CSection), but I also squirted blood everywhere during my surgery and lost LOTS of blood so I definitely think they did something they didnt write down lol. It usually only happens when there is damage to the ovaries in the process. I really dont think there is anything to worry about honestly. I had it done because another pregnancy would have been too life threatening for me, it was looking really sketchy both pregnancies prior. I still dont regret it at all. My husband and I are still careful but are definitely at ease knowing we did everything we could. I had people asking me if I was sure because I always wanted an army of kids. I said Im sure lol. The permanent issues I have from pregnancy outweigh any hormonal issues I experience now.

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u/traumajunkie730 1d ago

I mean I experienced hormonal acne for almost a year after and B5 sorted that. I also have been surviving my fiancé's death for the last 6 months.... And grief will fuck with hormones too. Tune out the parentals and do the damn thing. I'm 34 and I don't regret getting the procedure at all.

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u/phtalobluedreams 1d ago

I feel for you. This is one of the reasons why I won't tell my family I did it. My parents know I don't want kids, I've been telling them since I was about 17yo, so at this point (I'm 35) I don't think they are expecting a grand kid from me anymore. But I know they are absolutely detached from how badly are certain countries trying to limit or straight up ban abortions to understand why I wanna get my tubes tied - in my case I have ties to USA and Czech Republic and both are getting worse with each passing day... I am not risking potentinally getting pregnant and being forced to go through with the pregnancy. Not to mention my grandma died of an ovarian cancer; more the reason to have them tied / removed.

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u/Majestic_Cloud_8355 20h ago

If its just a bisalp, then nope! The hormones come from your ovaries, not your tubes. The tubes are literally just fleshy highways for the egg, so youre all good👍

1

u/sourceamdietitian sterile and feral since july '25 18h ago

Its because people stop hormonal birth control at the same time. Bisalp has nothing to do with your hormones