Tubal Ligation Summary Tubal ligation (getting your “tubes tied”) is a type of surgery. It prevents a woman from getting pregnant. It is a permanent form of birth control. The surgery closes the fallopian tubes, which connect the ovaries to the uterus. It usually takes about 30 minutes. Almost all women go home the same day. Women can return to most normal activities within a few days. Tubal ligation can sometimes be reversed, but not always. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Clinical Trials ClinicalTrials.gov: Reproductive Sterilization National Institutes of Health ClinicalTrials.gov: Sterilization, Tubal National Institutes of Health Specifics Conceiving After Tubal Surgery American Society for Reproductive Medicine Hysteroscopic Sterilization American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Hysteroscopy American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Tubal Ligation Reversal Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Related Issues Essure Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Teenagers Female Sterilization (Tubal Ligation) Children’s Hospital Boston Array Hysteroscopy Tubal ligation Tubal ligation – slideshow Tubal ligation – discharge Tubal ligation reversal Find an Expert National Institute of Child Health and Human Development National Institute of Child Health and Human Development womenshealth.gov Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women’s Health Start Here Postpartum Sterilization American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Sterilization by Laparoscopy American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Sterilization for Women and Men American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Tubal Ligation Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Tubal Sterilization American Academy of Family Physicians Journal Articles Tubal Ligation Encyclopedia Sterilization surgery – making a decision