title: A summary of reported pregnancies after hysteroscopic sterilization.
abstract: The purpose of this article is to describe 64 unintended pregnancies reported by patients who had undergone hysteroscopic sterilization and to provide recommendations for avoiding post-procedure pregnancies. Sixty-four pregnancies out of an estimated 50,000 procedures were reported to the device manufacturer from 1997 through December 2005. Most occurred in patients without appropriate follow-up. Other causes included misread hysterosalpingograms, undetected preprocedure pregnancies, and failure to follow product-labeling guidelines. The risk of pregnancy with hysteroscopic sterilization may be reduced by educating patients about the necessity of follow-up, ensuring that patients use effective contraception before and after placement, following the instructions for use, and adhering to the hysterosalpingography protocol.
authors.affiliation: Women's Health and Breast Center, Franciscan Health System, Federal Way, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: Mark D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Levie
authors.forename: Meredith E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Childers
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007047:Hysterosalpingography; D015907:Hysteroscopy; D011247:Pregnancy; D049168:Pregnancy, Unplanned; D013245:Sterilization, Reproductive / Q000379:methods; D013246:Sterilization, Tubal / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods