TUBAL LIGATION
Tubal ligation is surgery to close a woman's fallopian tubes, the tubes that connect the ovaries to the uterus. The procedure is commonly known as "tying the tubes."
Normally, a woman's fallopian tubes moves eggs from the ovary to the uterus about once a month. If a man's sperm meets up with an egg, pregnancy can result. If the tubes are closed, or "tied," sperm cannot fertilize an egg, and pregnancy will not occur.
Tubal ligation makes a woman permanently sterile (unable to get pregnant).
Source: National Library of Medicine, Medline Plus. 2008
