While it's a useful and valid question to ask why more women cannot choose this procedure, it's also a worthy question to ask why so many couples choose tubal ligation in the US compared to vasectomy. Research around vasectomy suggests hesitancies based on ideas of masculinity being wrapped up in men's ejaculation and ability to impregnate a woman.

Also, the longer I've been working in the field of sex research/education, the more I've met OB/GYNs who have - repeatedly - met women in their mid to late 20s, or 30s/40s, who had a tubal ligation when they were younger but then something happened - they broke up with or divorced the first partner, for example - and later on decided they wanted to have more biological children. When these women come in for a "reversal", they are often devastated to learn that it's not that easy.

So it's not just "what if you met a billionaire and wanted to have his children?" but the more common scenarios of "what if life happens and things don't work out with this relationship, and you later want to have another child?" Things that - while it's hard to say - one doesn't always think are likely scenarios when one is 21 and madly in love.

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Raise your hand if you've NEVER seen this woman and call total bullshit on this guy. *raises both hands*

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Sorry for venting. This is a sore spot. And no, still haven't found one willing to do IUD or sterilization.

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He is a amazing guy. Truly. He's so old school, he can actually tie knots in your wounds that don't leave scars. No staples. And he can use honey to fight infection (no idea). The appointments can go long while he tells stories though.

PS. He tried to just switch from being an OBGYN to just a GYN so he could have a more regular schedule and less surgery. But apparently, while ladies will break down and see a doctor once they are pregnant, it's nearly impossible to pay for a practise based solely on ladies going to see their doctors on an regular preventive basis. I know it's icky, but go see your doctors, please!

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I'm not going to defend these doctors, because in this case this woman obviously seems to know what she wants, but I think a lot of women (or men) might see surgical sterilization as the perfect form of birth control, then come to regret it. Not sure what the rules are, but if either the operation or the reversals are covered by Canadian Health Care, I can understand why the doctors/government might be hesitant to do it.

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While I support every woman's right to choose her own reproductive future, it is true that there are many other ways to prevent unwanted pregnancy.

If I were a gynocologist, I would recommend a patient consider using an IUD and then revisit the subject when the IUD has to be removed three years later. It would be absolutely terrible for someone to make a decision this big and then regret it a few years later, and as a professionals who takes an oath to "do no harm," it is not entirely unreasonable for doctors to be wary.

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Fuck you, America.

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Pop! Pop! Pop!

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Unless it's like abortion, where you just decide to get one, one day as you walk down the street. Actually, I bet these doctors do have those kinds of views of abortion. Would make sense.

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