Patients' response to tubal division

Of the 187 women who underwent laparoscopic tubal division at the Massachusetts General Hospital between September 1969 and June 1973, one hundred thirty-nine were interviewed in a follow-up study. The mean age was 33.9 years; the mean gravidity was 5.0 and mean parity 3.8. Most women were married, with religious affiliations reflecting those of the general hospital population, and most underwent tubal division because they felt they had had enough children. The majority (85.6%) were satisfied with their decision and reported similar or improved mental and physical health and sexual activity. Almost all (93.5%) said that they would make the same choice again, and more than half (54.7%) would have liked to have had this operation earlier. Those ambivalent or regretful about their decision could not be readily identified by any preoperative characteristics such as age, parity, and marital status.