Emotional Adjustment Following Tubal Sterilization by Laparoscopy and Laparotomy in 1,052 Women

Summary: A questionnaire assessing emotional adjustment after tubal sterilization was completed by 1,052 women. Age, parity, religion, and prior emotional stability were found not to predict dissatisfaction. However, there was a significant relationship between medical indications for sterilization and an unsatisfactory outcome. Approximately 30% of the sample reported improvement in emotional and sexual adjustment; the number showing deterioration was low. Patients sterilized by laparotomy found the procedure significantly more trying than those sterilized by laparoscopy.