Ok I had a Dr. appt today for the old pap and pelvic and left with news that I found surprising so I thought I would share it with the rest of you.
I'll start from the beginning.
When I was 27, I told my OB/Gyn that I would like to get a tubal ligation and was told that because of my age and having no children, that she really frowned upon having it done. She told me she would give me a Mirena IUD, which she said was as close to sterlization as I could get without actually having it done. I said fine and have had my IUD for 3 years. It's worked just fine and as an added benefit, I don't have cramps and bloating anymore (Woohoo!).
So, I decided that at my exam today, I would bring up tubal ligation again, thinking that maybe just maybe 30 would be old enough for me to be taken seriously. My Dr. told me that yes she would do it, but the Mirena IUD actually has a lower failure rate than surgical sterilization. I must've looked at her like she was full of shit because she went into some detail of the studies during recent years of women with the Mirena IUD. (Plus the added benefits I've had dealing with my menstrual cycle). I told her that I would think about keeping it.
When I got home, I looked up the failure rates of birth control and sure enough, on the planned parenthood website it says the failure rate of the Mirena IUD is 0.1 and the failure rate of surgical sterilization is 0.5.
Just thought I would share my findings. Have any other women had good luck or are happy with an IUD?