Sterilization Failure, Sterilization Reversal, and Pregnancy after Sterilization Reversal in Quebec

Edith Guilbert, Université Laval
Allison A. Hedley, Princeton University

Sterilization is intended to prevent pregnancy permanently, and women and men are counseled that reversal is not always possible. Nevertheless, sterilization reversals and pregnancies after sterilization do occur. We examine what happens after sterilization in the Canadian province of Quebec using payment data from the provincial health insurance system. The data for this study were obtained for each person undergoing vasectomy or female sterilization from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 1999 and linked through a unique identifying number for each person. Using life-table procedures, we examine the likelihood of sterilization reversal and subsequent sterilization among men and women; among women, we also examine the likelihood of pregnancy following sterilization (contraceptive failure) and following sterilization reversal. We conclude that sterilization reversal and pregnancy following sterilization are uncommon but not rare. Relatively high rates of reversal among the youngest age groups suggest a need for better counseling about alternative contraceptive strategies.