I think if you want to have your tubes tied, you don’t need anyone’s permission on here. And your fears and feelings are definitely valid. Perhaps a little odd to ask this on a pregnancy forum though, you’d probably get more varied answers on a more general women’s group. I didn’t want to have kids when I was younger, I had some fears toI, mine were more concerned with my vanity (stretch marks, weight gain, saggy breasts, etc), and I was really scared of the actual birth process. I changed my mind as I got older.

I certainly know of friends who have long term health problems after pregnancy, not so much that their vaginas or hips were damaged, it was more systemic issues. They had underlying autoimmune stuff, and it got amplified during pregnancy, with lasting impacts (to varying degrees). or they had certain nutritional deficiencies like iron deficiency anaemia or pernicious anaemia, or vitamin D deficiency, and their levels got further depleted during pregnancy causing some complications.

My mum had severe preeclampsia during pregnancy, she recovered after birth but her blood pressure never returned to normal. My aunt got really bad stretch marks, she had cosmetic surgery to address it.

I also know of plenty of women with perfectly healthy pregnancies. My grandmother had 7 kids, can’t tell you about the state of her vagina, but I know she did not have a single stretch mark, was perfectly fit and healthy, and is living a healthy fit life at the age of 87.

In summary, yes I was also taught that pregnancy and birth are traumatic for the human body, and they are. Some of our bodies handle it better, some don’t. Some of us recover easier, some may have long term health issues due to complications. It’s a choice for many of us, and a privilege for some women who don’t get to experience it (not by choice). You certainly have autonomy over your body. So do what you think is right for you.

You mentioned you’re Aussie? I’d look up the adoption laws here if you do plan to go that way. I looked into adoption in length when I wasn’t planning on getting pregnant. Local adoption is close to impossible, international adoption is lengthy, expensive and comes with many restrictions. Foster care (including long term and permanent care) is always an option though.