Tubal ligation does not affect hormonal changes during the early menopausal transition

Abstract

Background To determine if women with a bilateral tubal ligation (BTL) were more likely to experience hormonal changes indicative of the transition to menopause or an increase in menopausal symptoms compared to women without a BTL. Methods Menopausal symptoms and hormone profiles of 134 women reporting a BTL were compared throughout the course of a 4-year follow-up study to 172 women without a BTL. Generalized linear regression models for repeated measures were used to estimate the independent effect of BTL on menopausal symptoms and hormonal levels adjusted for covariates. Results Forty-four percent of women reported a BTL and over one-half of women with a BTL experienced hot flashes. Women with a BTL had similar hormonal levels over the study period compared to women without a BTL. In addition, no relationship was found between BTL and any of the menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes, decreased libido or increased anxiety adjusting for age, race, body mass index (BMI), education, menopausal status and parity. Conclusion These findings document that women with a BTL have similar changes in sex hormone levels over the perimenopausal period compared to women without a BTL independent of other covariates. In addition, the reporting of menopausal symptoms was similar between the groups.