Most people are not aware that tubal ligation - usually considered a permanent method of birth control - can be reversed through one hour outpatient surgery. This article reports the outcomes of a large population of women who have had tubal ligation reversals at Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center. This is the largest and the most detailed follow-up study of tubal reversal patients in existence.

The study population consisted of 2692 women who underwent tubal reversal surgery between January 2001 and December 2004 . This method of following a group of individuals over time looking for specified outcomes is called a prospective cohort study.

The tubal reversal operations were performed using surgical and anesthetic techniques developed by Dr. Gary Berger. These techniques minimize pain, bleeding, operation time, and post operative recovery time. The surgical techniques, as well as the entire outpatient procedure, are explained step-by-step in a video of outpatient tubal reversal that has been shown in the series called