Choosing permanent birth control through tubal sterilization is a serious decision for a woman: It means that she will no longer be able to bear children.
To fully understand how tubal sterilization works, it is wise to know how pregnancy ordinarily occurs under normal conditions.

As a female enters her teens, her ovaries begin releasing one or more eggs every month into the fallopian tubes, which carry them to the uterus.

If a man’s sperm fertilizes an egg in the uterus, pregnancy can result. With tubal sterilization, a surgical procedure closes the fallopian tubes.

Although it is a simple operation, it is permanent, and there is some risk of complications, such as infection or a reaction to the anesthesia.