Health

My best friend is 20 years old and she is dead set against having children. She wants to be sterilised and has asked me to find out if the NHS would be willing to do it

Any help?

Not without a sound medical reason.

No, at the age of 20 the NHS would not perform sterilisation. You have to be at least 30 before they will consider it, and generally they will only want to do it if you have already had children and are absolutely convinced your family is complete.

The reason they are so strict is that so many people these days change their mind a few years later and want the procedure reversed, which is expensive and generally ineffective.

If your friend is dead set against having children, she should consider another form of contraception - two suggestions would be the implant, which lasts for 3 years and is extremely effective, or a coil, which can last up to 10 years without needing changed. The Mirena coil, a coil which releases a small amount of hormone into the uterus constantly is actually considered to be more effective than female sterilisation.

No they would not, she is way to young and just because she doesn't want children now doesn't mean her mind and circumstances wont change in the future, although she will be defiant that its what she wants at the moment. I know this from personal experience, I also wanted sterilised right up until i was about 23, I am now 26 and have a little boy and I am so glad I didn't ruin my life by being sterilised. It would have been very stupid to do such a thing. There are plenty methods of contraception your friend can use to avoid pregnancy. No doctor in the land would sterilise a young healthy woman for no good reason, and just not wanting kids isn't a good enough reason.

More than likely no.For them to sterilise someone so young there would have to either be serious health reasons or she has got multiple children or multiple fathers.Its worth a shot though i went when i was 21 after having my 1st child and they said no because i may change my mind in the future,i still haven't but they still won't do it

No they wouldn't, as she will quite likely change her mind in future and regret it, I never thought i would want children until i had a pregnancy scare and was so upset over the fact i couldn't keep it as I'm too young. Luckily, It was just me and I wasn't actually.

no, the NHS wouldnt do it. A friend of mine had 2 kids by the time she was 25, she had to beg and beg them to sterilise her. The NHS would only sterilise someone over 30 if they havent had children.

Basically no, guidelines are against this sort of decision, particularly now that there are a number of safe, long acting contraceptive options with good side effect profiles.

They won't. She's far too young and there are a lot of women asking for reversals. It's a costly procedure for the nhs. Birth control is a cheaper option.

The NHS would probably only sterilise her if there was a medical reason, e.g. dangerous for her to get pregnant, etc. She is only 20 - there is always the possibility she could change her mind.

My friend was the same age and asked to get it done, they said no because she is too young and may change her mind in time.

doubt it but they prob would, they m,ay advise her to councilling prior to this

I'd doubt it. Us women are known for changing our minds and at her age only an existing medical condition would sway them.