Tubal ligation is a means of permanent birth control, or sterilization. The fallopian tubes normally carry the female egg from the ovary to the uterus. Any woman in good health who does not want to be able to have children is a candidate for this procedure.
Many women have the procedure done in a same-day surgery setting.
Other women choose to have it done in the hospital shortly after the birth of a child. Some may have it done during a cesarean section or c-section delivery. When the procedure is done during a c-section, it is considered an open procedure. This means that the doctor can see the tubes. For most other women, however, the procedure is done using a technique known as laparoscopy .