Hormone levels before and after tubal sterilization.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to determine whether women experience significant luteal phase hormonal changes following interval tubal sterilization.

DESIGN

This is a partly randomized, prospective clinical study.

SETTING

This study involved healthy volunteers in an academic research environment.

PATIENTS

This study involved 118 fertile women seeking tubal sterilization and 57 fertile controls with at least three normal cyclic menstrual periods before entry into the study.

INTERVENTIONS

The patients were randomized to bipolar cautery or Hulka clip as sterilization methods. Barrier contraception or abstinence was used by controls.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The main outcome measures are serum estradiol and progesterone levels and urinary estradiol and pregnanediol levels obtained during the luteal phase before, 1 year and 2 years after sterilization.

RESULTS

The women randomized to the bipolar cautery group had higher midluteal progesterone levels measured between Days 5 and 11 postovulation (15.5 ng/mL before sterilization, 14.5 ng/mL at 1 year and 14.5 ng/mL at 2 years) than did the other two groups. The clip group had progesterone levels of 14.1, 12.0 and 12.5 ng/mL at baseline, 1 year and 2 years, respectively, and the control group had levels of 12.0, 11.9 and 11.3 ng/mL for the same periods. Serum estradiol and progesterone and urinary pregnanediol and estradiol were not significantly changed over the 2-year period, nor were there significant differences between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

There were no significant hormonal changes in sterilized women over a period of 2 years when compared with their baseline levels or when compared with unsterilized age-matched controls.