The history of pregnancies that occur following female sterilization.

Data on 208 pregnancies occurring among 20,749 women following sterilization were collected by the International Fertility Research Program and the histories of these pregnancies from conception to termination were analyzed. In the laparoscopic series, the operator's failure to interrupt the tube by electrocoagulation or a tubal occlusion device was the major reason reported for sterilization failure. In the culdoscopic series, operator error or device deficiency were the major reasons for failure. About three quarters of pregnancies in this study were conceived within the first year following sterilization and were confirmed during the first trimester. The rate of ectopic pregnancy occurring in this series was higher than the rate reported for nonsterilized women and was especially high when electrocoagulation was used.