After two complicated pregnancies, Lola decided at the age of 25 to opt for a permanent method of contraception. A request refused by doctors who believe that at her age, she could still change her mind and therefore regret her choice one day.
- Not wanting to have any more children and being a carrier of the gene responsible for cystic fibrosis, Lola asked to have a tubal ligation after her two pregnancies, which she was refused.
- In addition to asking for her husband’s agreement to obtain permanent contraception, the doctors judge that the 25-year-old woman is too young to have this operation.
- Her partner suggested having a vasectomy, which the practitioners immediately accepted.
“I always wanted to have two children, no more,” insists Lola, now 28 years old. In 2019, the nursing assistant in a nursing home not far from Bordeaux, in Gironde, became a mother for the first time. Two years later, she gave birth to her second son. “I had many complications and almost died during both pregnancies. When I was expecting my second child, I made the decision to have my tubes tied.”
Legal for all adults since the law of July 4, 2001 in France, this surgical procedure, which is performed on an outpatient basis and under general anesthesia, consists of cutting the fallopian tubes to prevent the passage of spermatozoa to fertilize the egg. In short, it prevents pregnancy. After this medical procedure, reimbursed by Social Security up to 65%, infertility is permanent. However, according to Health Insurance, “an operation to re-permeabilize the tubes is sometimes possible with very random results.”
The couple are carriers of “the gene that causes cystic fibrosis”
“This idea crossed my mind because my mother, who had endometriosis, had a tubal ligation at the age of 50. She told me that this operation, which does not require much time off work, does not necessarily cause pain and just leaves a small wound in the abdomen. This convinced me, because I no longer wanted to take hormonal contraception. In addition, we know that no contraception is 100% reliable, you can get pregnant with the pill, an IUD, which I really did not want,” explains the young woman.
Another element encourages her to turn to this definitive method of contraception. “Three weeks after the birth of our second son, my partner and I learned that we both carried an abnormality in the gene coding for the CFTR protein (for cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator), carried on chromosome 7, which is the cause of cystic fibrosis.” This hereditary genetic disease, from which her little boy suffers, is characterized by the thickening of secretions from several organs, mainly the lungs and the pancreas, which alters their functioning.
Tubal ligation: Doctor ‘asked me if I had my husband’s consent’
“Even before I found out, I was sure I wanted to have a tubal ligation. It wasn’t a decision I made on a whim. I didn’t want to have any more children, especially if they have a one in four risk of developing cystic fibrosis. And if I ever got pregnant, I knew it would be impossible for me to have an abortion, it’s beyond my strength. So the only solution is permanent contraception, but I didn’t know it was going to be an obstacle course!”
Indeed, even before giving birth in 2021, the woman who now lives in a small village in the South-West of France had announced her decision to have her tubes tied during her gynecological follow-up at the hospital. “Since I wanted to do it straight after giving birth, I anticipated it, because I was aware that there was a four-month reflection period between the first consultation and the operation.” Problem: Lola hit a wall. “I couldn’t even get a first date. I was turned down straight away because I was too young. According to the doctors, I still had time to change my mind and they said that pregnancy hormones could influence my choice. However, that was absolutely not the case.”
Determined, the nursing assistant decides to ask her doctor for a letter allowing her to obtain permanent contraception. “To justify his refusal, he mentioned my age and also asked me if I had my husband’s agreement. I couldn’t believe it! And after telling him that we were carriers of the gene responsible for cystic fibrosis, he told me that this disease today is no longer like the one before.” Shocked, the twenty-year-old decides to change GPs. “I felt misunderstood. After the pregnancies, I had to go to multiple appointments to change my method of contraception, because none of them suited me. It was exhausting!”
“Luckily, my partner offered to have a vasectomy.”
After doing some research, the mother quickly realized that she was not the only one to have faced refusals. “I came across a site called SterilizeMe, which lists doctors who agree to perform tubal ligations.” Completely demotivated at that time, the patient decided to give up. “Luckily, my partner offered to have a vasectomy.” Performed in an outpatient surgery facility under local or sometimes general anesthesia, this procedure involves cutting or blocking the vas deferens that run from the epididymis to the prostate. Thus, the sperm is devoid of spermatozoa, because the passage of spermatozoa to the penis is impossible.
“Unlike me, everything happened very quickly for him. He consulted a doctor who wrote him a letter without asking my permission. Then he saw a urologist and after the four-month reflection period, he had the operation last January. And I have wanted to have a tubal ligation for three years, but they refused… But I am not going to give up. Even though my partner had a vasectomy, I plan to take the steps again after this summer. We women are not child-making machines, we have the right to choose whether or not to have children, especially when it puts our health at risk!”
