This is not even remotely true. The ovary receives blood from 2 sources, one from each end of the ovary. Either is capable of carrying the whole load by itself if necessary. The ovarian ligament carries blood from connections to the uterine artery, and the infundibulopelvic ligament carries blood via the ovarian artery. The Fallopian tube is an appendage of the uterus and broad ligment, and receives its blood supply from tiny vessels that come off of the ovary, IP  ligament, ovarian ligament, as well as directly from the uterus. In other words, the Fallopian tube is   downstream from the ovary.  Arguing that a tubal ligation, which incidently does not even cut off the blood supply to the tube itself, cuts off the blood supply to the ovary is analogous to arguing that damming the Mississippi River at New Orleans is going to prevent water from getting to St. Louis. It is absolutely ludicrous.

I have been seeing this ridiculous theory on the Web for some time now.  There may be something that causes Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome, but this is not it. I have visited some of the Websites that propound this theory, and the complete and utter lack of factual anatomic knowledge is astounding.

Even the most elementary of anatomy texts would set this idea aside. At one site, there are 2 pictures of ovaries, one proportedly normal, and the other abnormal, supposedly as a result of this phenomenon. The trouble is, the "normal" ovary is grossly abnormal, easily 2-3 normal size, with a large cystic structure and obvious internal bleeding. The "abnormal" ovary is perfect in every way, not so much as a blemish.

As long as an organ has even one tiny capillary to receive blood through, the human body is capable of changing that tiny vessel into whatever size is needed to supply that organs needs. Even allowing that this theory had some validity, the ovary would simply "instruct" the body to increase the size of its other connections.

William D. McIntosh, MD, FACOG
Clarksville, TN

Please Dr. Macintosh....your letter requires response and full attack.

You are telling women that the ovary tells the body to make a blood supply..you are an IDIOT and I will not even bother responding to you as a MD...  its not worth my time. Please any woman can read about torsion ..were did the new blood supplies come from to save all of these ovaries. I believe that your notes need to be forwarded to FAOG..for action. Any woman who has read your ridiculous posting should complain to the FACOG and to your state license  division for INTENTIONAL FRAUD AND MISREPRESENTATION.

Susan had normal FSH and ovulation with normal size ovaries.  Then after BTL she had elevated FSH , and atrophic ovaries.  You can not change her FSH (or ovarian function) by your ridiculous notions.

I want every woman to file a complaint. You will find that the medical community will protect this man and take no actions against his intentional attacks on (the public),  Susan and her rights and her case.  However you need to make a record for historical purposes.

This is more of the conspiracy to protect CASTRATION of women.

V Hufnagel MD
Not one of the Boys...
Not part of the FACOG
: forward this to the needed site

J  Cheers to:

"Coalition for Post Tubal Women"
Date:  Sun May 14, 2000 
Subject:  Blood supply to the ovaries

As promised in the letter to Melly, we have posted information known by the obgyn medical community about ovarian blood supply.

Maybe Dr. McIntosh should review his basic female anatomy text books.

You may view the page at
http://www.tubal.org/OvarianBloodSupply.htm

He, OBGYN.net, and the ACOG still fail  to realize the consequences of their actions by posting information such as this, for allowing information such as this to be posted, and for not requiring ACOG members to properly and fully inform women.

L Jeers to:

J  Cheers to:

"Dr. Hufnagel promotes (FRS)  to preserve the uterus at any cost and without regard for whether a woman has completed her childbearing. Talk about arrogance and misogyny!"

Many post-tubal patients who come to her office seeking relief complain bitterly of more severe cramps, heavier, longer periods, dysfunctional uterine bleeding, pain with intercourse, and pelvic pain or pressure. Three theories explain why these problems occur; 1.Tubal ligation destroys the blood supply to the ovaries. 2. Certain types of tubal sterilization procedures are more likely to result in endometriosis. 3. An increase in the blood pressure within the ovarian artery can create an estrogen-progesterone imbalance.

L Jeers to:

J  Cheers to:

"...the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists denies that post-tubal ligation syndrome is a medical condition."

NBC reported on the untold side effects of tubal ligation, what post tubal syndrome (PTS) is , why it's caused, and the need for post tubal women to get hormone testing.

Speaking on the behalf of the ACOG as to why women are not informed of the risk of post tubal syndrome....

"so far there's no evidence ..."

NBC5 defended Dr. Hufnagel and informed of the smear campaign that was waged upon her by the medical community because of her speaking out and publishing information about unnecessary hysterectomies and tubal ligations.

NBC5 again explained the cause of ovaries shutting down after a tubal ligation.

L Jeers to:

J  Cheers to:

1.  Not informing women of known risks of tubal ligation at the time of their consent.

2.  Not informing women at the time of their "Kaiser required class room setting" aimed to educated women prior to tubal ligation.

3.  For hiding and keeping this information secret by not disclosing this information to the public, for not disclosing this information to their Kaiser patients and insurance clients/customers who have tubal ligations at their facilities.

Long-term risk of hysterectomy among 80,007 sterilized and comparison women at Kaiser Permanente, 1971-1987
Source:Am J Epidemiol,1993 Oct 1

Abstract:  To study the long-term risk of hysterectomy after tubal sterilization, the authors analyzed historical hospital discharge data on 39,502 parous women sterilized during 1971-1984 and 40,505 comparison women matched on age, race, parity, and interval since last birth.

Sterilized women were significantly more likely than were comparison women to undergo hysterectomy (relative risk (RR) = 1.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.26-1.44), especially for diagnoses of menstrual dysfunction and pelvic pain (RR = 1.88, 95% CI 1.65-2.13). Higher relative risks were not associated with greater tissue-destructive methods of tubal occlusion. Relative risks were highest for women who were young on the reference date (RR = 2.45, 95% CI 1.79-3.36 for women aged 20-24 years), but declined steadily as age increased (RR = 0.96, 95% CI 0.72-1.28 for women aged 40-49 years). In all age groups, relative risks were significantly above 1.00 after 7 years of follow-up. Reasons for elevated risks may be related to a greater willingness of sterilized women to forgo their uteruses.

The emergence of greater risk in all age groups, however, prevents the authors from ruling out a possible latent biologic effect of tubal sterilization.

J  Cheers to:

J  Cheers to:

A follow up study of 374 patients with tubal ligation revealed that 43% had subsequent gynecological treatment for such conditions as menorrhagia ( heavy menstrual bleeding), menstrual disturbances requiring hormonal treatments, cervical erosion, ovarian tumors, and recanalization of the fallopian tubes requiring a second operation.

There is an increased incidence of women with tubal ligations undergoing subsequent hysterectomy because of severe menstrual problems. Of the 374 patients followed in the study cited above ,70- or 18.7% - return for a hysterectomy. A study by James G. Tappan found a 40.7% incidence of menorrhagia and suggested that cystic degeneration of the ovary as a result of an interruption of the uterine artery might account for this. In any case, the figure of a 40% increase in menstrual problems as the results of tubal ligation seems standard. In addition the rate of cervical cancer experienced by one group of 489 women three and a half times the normal rate).

Postablation-tubal sterilization syndrome.
Source :J Am Assoc Gynecol Laparosc, 1996

Abstract: Operative resectoscopy and endometrial ablation are often performed to treat abnormal uterine bleeding, but little is known about the potential late complications of these procedures. We reviewed the records of 305 women who underwent endometrial ablation at a midwestern obstetrics and gynecology group practice and teaching hospital between July 1990 and October 1995. For 71 women, tubal ligation, salpingectomy, or tubal sterilization was performed at the time of ablation. Of these, six (8.4%) developed intense cyclic pain 5 to 40 months after surgery. Four subsequently underwent exploratory laparotomy and hysterectomy, and two others underwent laparoscopic tubal resection and destruction. Gross pathologic findings revealed hematosalpinx, and microscopic examination showed endometriosis, acute and chronic inflammation of the fallopian tubes, and acute and chronic myometritis. We believe these characteristic clinical and pathologic findings are consistent with postablation-tubal sterilization syndrome, a distinct clinical entity arising as a late complication of endometrial ablation in patients with a history of tubal ligations and/or obstruction.

J  Cheers to:

J  Cheers to:

Date: Mon, 8 May 2000 08:54:12 -0500
Subject: Tubal Ligation - The biggest health fraud of all time

When medical historians look back 100 years from now, one of the biggest health frauds of all time will be how women health care porviders, the OBGYN community and the ACOG has sold tubal ligations to masses of women  stating that the surgery is safe and without side effects.

This fraud has been going on for decades

Susan J Bucher
Coalition for Post Tubal Women
http://www.tubal.org

Some women experience a post -laparoscopic syndrome including heavy irregular bleeding and increased menstrual pain, which may create the need for repeated dilation and curettages or, in some cases complete hysterectomies...

J  Cheers to:

J  Cheers to:

"Although sterilization is simple, safe and certain, it occasionally causes changes in menstrual flow- making periods heavier or lighter - and it may cause adhesions.  If there is enough interference with blood supply to your ovaries {ovaries and fallopian tubes share the same blood supply},  the sterilization procedure can cause a permature menopause.  While these complication are uncommon, they are a possibility."

Date: Tue, 16 May 2000
From: Ron Law <-----@ihug.co.nz>
Subject:Tubal Ligation, Women's Health Rights, Civil Rights, and Fraud.

I've had some many off-line emails from friend and foe asking me to reconsider that I just couldn't resist.

This little debate is an interesting one. Can I comment on this prticular exchange.

I am a medical laboratory scientist by training (20 years by trade). Whilst a clinical biochemist my basis traing (5-years) included histology. My office, for four years, was within an histology lab.

I was intrigued to hear a colleague at morning tea comment on a specimen of ( atrophied) ovary from a woman who had had a tubal ligation. Apparently adhesions had affected the blood supply and it became shrivelled up and non-functioning. This was discovered as a result of exploratory surgery to determine cause of pain which was found to have
been due to adhesions.

In the context of the definition below ("castration - excision of the gonads, or their destruction") this woman was half castrated as a result of tubal ligation.

Not being a brain surgeon, am I wrong to extrapolate that a woman could become fully castrated due to TL?

Which raises an interesting debate about what is informed consent.

J  Cheers to:

J  Cheers to:

Tubal sterilization in a women involves destruction of part of the fallopian tube. If this destruction is too extensive, interference with ovarian blood flow may occur and systemic effects can follow. A women might experience certain menopausal sympyoms such as "hot flashes". A change in the pattern and the amount of menstrual bleeding may occur,and there is some indication of increased susceptibility to the development of the ovarian cysts. Adhesion formation is also  possible.These adhesions can caused pain, and in rare cases,necessiate a hysterectomy.

'Listen To Your Body'

Women who experience (post tubal) syndrome after surgery may have pelvic pain, irregular menstrual bleeding severe premenstrual syndrome(PMS), and galactorrhea, a milky discharge from the nipples.  Some times women are so incapacitated by the pain of PTLS that they undergo further surgery.   Most likely, PTLS is caused by hormonal imbalance. If a physician cauterizes, removes, or damages to large a portion of the Fallopain tubes and their blood vessels , he will reduce blood flow, the ovaries might shrink, and women may bleed less menstruation. A hormonal inbalance might result in abnormal ovulations with irregularmenstrual bleeding.   Whe ovulation is off, there can be decreased progesterone production which brings on premenstrual syndrome with its excessive mood swings and depressions.

"PMS, Premenstrual Syndrome and You"

If a physician cauterizes, removes or damages too large a portion of the Fallopian tubes and their blood vessels , he will reduce blood flow . The ovaries might shrink, and women may bleed less during menstruation. A hormonal inbalance might result in abnormal ovulation with irregular menstrual production which brings on premenstrual syndrome.

I agree with you completely that women should be informed of the possibility of Post-tubal syndrome BEFORE they undergo tubal sterilization.  Unfortunately, this information does not seem to routinely be given to patients during preoperative discussions about tubal sterilization...

L Jeers to:

J  Cheers to:

Coalition for Post Tubal Women