It has also been suggested that methods of occlusion resulting in more extensive damage to the fallopian tubes and mesosalpinx may be more likely to cause subsequent changes in menstrual function. Some criticism faulted early studies on menstrual irregularities following sterilization for a failure to account for other factors leading to a change in menstrual function following sterilization such as presterilization use of oral contraceptives possibly masking underlying menstrual dysfunction. Recent prospective studies that accounted for these confounding factors have failed to find a significant difference in the change in menstrual function between sterilized and nonsterilized women over time. Most studies of menstrual change following sterilization have had periods of follow-up for 1 to 2 years and have found no increase in risk of menstrual change. Many studies compare women undergoing sterilization with controls but do not measure the subjects' hormone levels preoperatively.
Female sterilization is the most effective long-term family planning method other than vasectomy.
In general, women sterilized at young ages have higher failure rates than women sterilized at older ages. Annual pregnancy rates for minilaparotomy using partial salpingectomy, commonly the Pomeroy and Parkland techniques, are very low, but when failure occurs, it is most often in the first or second years after surgery. Rarely do pregnancies occur after 5 years. For interval partial salpingectomy, the study does not have good, unbiased data. However, it may be reasonable to estimate the rates for interval partial salpingectomy as similar to the postpartum rates because studies in the past have demonstrated the interval procedure to be as or more effective than the postpartum procedure.