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"Reader Question: I have three beautiful children and am not planning to have any more. My husband has said he will get a vasectomy, but he keeps putting it off. I&amp;#039;m tired of the Pill and condoms are out of the question. What do you recommend? I heard about something called Essure on the radio. Should I consider it? You and your husband have some decisions to make. Are you sick of the Pill because you&amp;#039;re worried about hormones? Or is it just that you don&amp;#039;t like having to remember to take it every day? Assuming you don&amp;#039;t have any contraindications to hormonal birth control (you don&amp;#039;t smoke, have a blood clotting disorder, etc.), you might want to consider the birth control patch or vaginal ring. Another option is to ask your doctor about an IUD (intrauterine device). If you&amp;#039;re truly looking for permanent birth control, a vasectomy for your husband is probably the best bet. Unlike tubal ligation (getting your tubes tied, an invasive procedure that requires general anesthesia), a vasectomy is very simple and has a long track record of safety and effectiveness. Only local anesthesia is needed. But this is something that you and your husband both have to be comfortable with. I&amp;#039;d recommend making an appointment with a urologist and going along so that you can discuss this possibility together. Essure is another option for permanent birth control. FDA-approved in 2002, it&amp;#039;s a tiny coil that&amp;#039;s placed into the fallopian tubes while you&amp;#039;re under local anesthesia (no incision is needed). After it&amp;#039;s inserted, your body will naturally start to form tissue around it, which will eventually block the fallopian tubes. This process takes some time, so you&amp;#039;ll need to use backup birth control for three months after the procedure. Downtime is one to two days (compared to around four days after tubal ligation). But since Essure is relatively new, you&amp;#039;ll have to find out if your doctor offers it and how much it will cost (or if your insurance company will cover it). I want to hear from you, so e-mail me your questions at dailywd@womansday.com.  Disclaimer: Your seeking information on health related topics and/or Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, MD&amp;#039;s providing such information herein constitutes neither the solicitation of nor the provision of medical advice, services, care or treatment. Communication with Dr. Fryhofer on this website does not create a doctor/patient relationship. For concerns about your own particular medical condition, you should consult your own medical professional, who can examine and evaluate you. Communication on a website is not a substitute for taking an active role in your own medical care and treatment and being personally seen by a physician of choice in your area.  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/life/a41623/permanent-birth-control-5513/>