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- One reader asked if it is possible to unblock her tubes after being sterilised for six years.
- Our expert nurse says that sterilisation can be reversed, but success is not guaranteed.
- There are also several risk factors, and surgery is costly.
Sometimes people make life-changing decisions about their lives and then change their minds later.
One reader shared that she decided to sterilise six years ago after having her first child. Now, at the age of 31, she wants to try to have another baby.
Read: 'The state failed in its duty to protect these women': Forced sterilisation a violation of rights
Parent24 interviewed Sister Thembisile Makhomboti, a healthcare nurse and Head of Preventative Department at Witkoppen Clinic in Johannesburg, to ask if it is possible to unblock tubes after you have been sterilised.
Sister Makhomboti said, "Generally, the answer is no, as sterilisation should be considered a permanent solution to contraception. It may be possible with certain costly surgery to reverse permanent sterilisation, but there is no guarantee that the procedure will be successful."
She added that "unblocking of tubes involves costly surgery with all the potential complications of a general anaesthetic including time in hospital with no guarantee of success."
Makhomboti also warns that unblocking of tubes can result in infections or bleeding.
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