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Psychological sequelae of female sterilization: short-term outcome in a prospective controlled study: A report from the UK Field Research Centre of a WHO Collaborative Project1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

K. D. Bledin ,
J. E. Cooper ,
S. Mackenzie  and
B. Brice
K. D. Bledin*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Nottingham
J. E. Cooper
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Nottingham
S. Mackenzie
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Nottingham
B. Brice
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Nottingham
*
2Address for correspondence: K. D. Bledin, Research Psychologist, Department of Psychiatry, University of Nottingham Medical School, Clifton Boulevard, Nottingham NG7 2UH.
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Synopsis

Healthy multiparous women having elective interval (N = 69) or postpartum (N = 69) sterilization were interviewed pre-operatively and 6 weeks and 6 months post-operatively, using standardized instruments. They did not differ significantly from control samples of comparable non-sterilized women with respect to mental state (Present State Examination) or subjectively-assessed mental or physical health or abdominal pain. More sterilization subjects than control subjects reported subjectively experienced improvement in sexual satisfaction at the later follow-up. Reports of poor physical health and abdominal pain increased over time within both the sterilization and the control groups. Reports of adverse effects at follow-up were often associated with higher PSE scores initially. Regrets and wish for reversal were rare and were also associated with higher initial PSE scores. Since the adverse effects were more common among postpartum subjects, it is suggested that subjectively experienced sequelae of sterilization may sometimes be attributable to ‘normal’ postnatal events.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 14 , Issue 2 , May 1984 , pp. 379 - 390
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1984

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Footnotes

1

Details of the collaborating centres and investigators are given in Appendix C.

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