>>> KRISTEN WELKER HOSTS "MEET
THE PRESS" EVERY SUNDAY ON NBC.
>>> IN TODAY’S DAILY HEALTH A
NEW STUDY FINDS MORE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE FINDING -- CHOOSING
PERMANENT CONTRACEPTIVE AFTER
THE OVERTURNING OF ROE V WADE.
>> THERE HAVE BEEN AN INCREASE
OF VASECTOMIES AND TUBAL
LIGATION IN YOUNG PEOPLE
BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18 AND 30.
JOINING US NOW TO TALK ABOUT IT
IS DR. JOHN TORRES. DR. JOHN,
THIS GOT OUR ATTENTION, FOR
SURE.
IS IT SURPRISING TO YOU AS A
DOCTOR THAT MORE PEOPLE ARE
CHOOSING A FINAL METHOD OF
CONTRACEPTION?
>> WHEN YOU SEE THE HEADLINES,
YOU ARE SURPRISED BUT WHEN YOU
THINK ABOUT IT, YOU ARE NOT
SURPRISED. WE CANNOT SAY ONE
THING CAUSED THE OTHER, THAT
THE DOBBS DECISION CAUSED AN
INCREASE OF STERILIZATION BUT
THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH
DID THEIR STUDY AND THEY
ACTUALLY WENT AND SAID LET’S
LOOK BEFORE DOBBS AND AFTER
DOBBS.
AFTER DOBBS THEY FOUND AN
INCREASED RATE FOR MEN AND WOMEN
FO
RER RICTIONS THAT ARE GOINGPERMA
NOT A HUGE SURPRISE BECAUSE
ABORTION RESTRICTIONS GOING ON
ACROSS THE COUNTRY. I THINK
THERE IS A BIT OF A SCARE
FACTOR THERE TOO AND THEY ARE
WORRIED ABOUT WHAT WILL HAPPEN
MOVING FORWARD.
>> PRE-AND POSTOP, I’VE HEARD
MY FRIENDS TALK ABOUT THIS AND
THE QUESTION THAT COMES TO MY
MIND IS HOW YOUNG IS TOO YOUNG
TO DO THESE PROCEDURES?
ARE THERE LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES
PEOPLE SHOULD BE AWARE OF?
>> IT IS A PERMANENT PROCEDURE,
TUBAL LIGATION FOR WOMEN AND
VASECTOMY FOR MEN.
YOU HAVE TO THINK OF THEM AS
PERMANENT BECAUSE THERE ARE
SITUATIONS THEY ARE REVERSIBLE
BUT IT’S COMPLICATED.
THINK OF IT LIKE PERMANENT.
IF YOU LOOK AT STUDIES BEFORE
DOBBS, 30s SEEM TO BE THE LINE
THERE.
BELOW 30, LIKE 18 TO 30-YEAR
OLD HAVING THIS INCREASED RATE,
BELOW 30, THEY TEND TO GET
STERILIZATION REGRET LATER IN
LIFE.
YOU KNOW, MAYBE I SHOULDN’T
HAVE DONE IT.
I WANT TO REVERSE IT BECAUSE
I’VE GOT A FAMILY NOW OR
WHATEVER BUT ABOVE 30, IT’S
ACTUALLY PRETTY DRAMATIC FALL
AT THAT POINT.
THAT IS PROBABLY THE BIGGEST
THING, STERILIZATION REGRET.
WELL THAT HAPPENED 10, 15 YEARS
FROM NOW?
>> TO BE CLEAR, ISN’T IT MORE
REVERSIBLE IN MEN?
A VASECTOMY IS REVERSIBLE, BUT
TUBAL LIGATION ISN’T.
>> IT IS A MAJOR SURGERY FOR
WOMEN AND IN MEN, IT IS A
LESSER SURGERY.
FOR WOMEN, 50 TO 80% SUCCESS
RATE. LEANING TOWARDS 50% FOR
MEN, IT IS 80% SUCCESS RATE FOR
REVERSAL.
YOU CAN SEE GOING IN ON THE
PROCEDURE, YOU DEFINITELY NEED
TO TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT
THIS AND ASKED THE RISKS VERSUS
THE BENEFITS.
IS IT REVERSIBLE?
THERE ARE LONG-ACTING
REVERSIBLE CONTRACEPTIVES, LIKE
THE IUD WHICH WE CAN EXCHANGE
IT FOR ANOTHER ONE. NONSURGICAL
AND REVERSIBLE. MAKE SURE YOU
UNDERSTAND GOING IN WITH YOUR
EYES OPEN WHAT EXACTLY WILL
HAPPEN AND WHAT IT MEANS LONG-
TERM.
>> BEYOND CONTRACEPTION, FOR
WOMEN, THERE ARE OTHER REASONS
PEOPLE GET PROCEDURES LIKE A
HYSTERECTOMY.
>> THERE ARE OTHER REASONS FOR
THESE PROCEDURES.
I’M SORRY, TUBAL LIGATION HAS
BEEN SHOWN TO REDUCE OVARIAN
CANCER SO IF THERE IS A FAMILY
HISTORY, SOMETIMES THEY WILL DO
THAT AS WELL.
SOMETIMES THEY HAVE OTHER
HEALTH ISSUES AND THEY DON’T
WANT TO GET PREGNANT BECAUSE
THAT COULD COMPLICATE OTHER
HEALTH ISSUES.
>> WE DON’T KNOW FROM THE
NUMBERS WHAT’S DRIVING THOSE
INDIVIDUALS.
>> EXACTLY.
THEY ARE LOOKING AT IT FROM A
TIMELINE POINT OF VIEW.
>> LASTLY, WHAT COMPLICATIONS
CAN THERE BE?
>> A VASECTOMY ISN’T AS
COMPLICATED AS TUBAL LIGATION.
WITH A VASECTOMY, LIKE ANY
PROCEDURE, YOU HAVE BLEEDING,
BLOOD CLOTS, SWELLING. IN THIS
CASE, IT IS NEAR THE SCROTUM IN
THAT AREA BUT WITH TUBAL
LIGATION, IT CAN BE MUCH MORE