sterilization,in medicine, surgical procedure for the permanent prevention of conception by removing or interrupting the anatomical pathways through which gametes—igametes—i.e., ova in the female and sperm cells in the male—travel.

The oldest form of surgical sterilization, tubal ligation, remains one of the most widely used; as . As originally performed, this consisted of tying the female’s fallopian tubes closed with silk thread. Simple ligation has a high failure rate, however, and current procedure is usually combined with crushing modern procedures usually rely on stitching the tubes closed or severing a section of the tubes, making the possibility of reopening the pathway remote. Tubal closure may also be achieved by electronic coagulation of a segment of the tubes or by chemical adhesives. Finally, occlusive Occlusive devices—clips or bands of metal or some other material—may be used to close the tube. Techniques involving clips and bands are less destructive to the uterine tubes and generally have higher reversal rates than other methods. Tubal sterilization ligation can be performed through an open incision or endoscopically .Male sterilization (vasectomy) involves less risk to the subject and is simpler and less expensive than sterilization in womenand often requires the use of general anesthesia.


Male sterilization is performed in an operation known as vasectomy. In this procedure, each vas deferens, through which male sperm is transmitted, is severed through a small incision in the scrotum. This method has gained in use since the 1950s and is now the most common procedure for permanent sterilization in many countries. (See vasectomy.)popularity as a form of contraception beginning in the 1950s. Today it is a common procedure in many countries for permanent sterilization. Compared with tubal ligation in females, vasectomy involves less risk to the subject and is simpler and less expensive. However, because it involves an incision and stitches, it is more invasive than the Essure procedure for females.

Because a sterilized individual may at some point desire restored fertility, the chief drawback of sterilization as a contraceptive means has been its irreversibility. Using microsurgical techniques developed in the 1970s, some Some tubal closures have been reversed using microsurgical techniques, but the procedure is difficult and expensive. It has had only limited success at restoring a woman’s fertility, because other damage associated with the original sterilization may prevent successful conception. Surgical reversal of vasectomy has been is somewhat more successful, achieving success about 80 percent of the time, but the conception rate following such reversal remains low.