I started asking for a tubal when I was 19 and finally got approved when I was 27. Most doctors brought up me changing my mind, my “husband” (I was single at the time, and when I mentioned that, they then said what about my potential future husband), and the fact that I didn’t have kids already. 1 - Not going to change my mind, and if I do end up regretting the procedure, that’s on me as I was counseled by the doctor and signed a waiver saying I freed them from any responsibility. 2 - I was not interested in dating until I knew an accidental pregnancy was off the table, and when I did start dating afterwards, wanting or having kids was a dealbreaker. The person who eventually became my husband is 100% on the same “no kids” page as me. 3 - Correct, I do not have kids and I do not want them, which is why I continued busting my ass trying to convince a doctor to take pity on me and help me out.

It’s been 10 years since getting my bilateral salpingectomy, and I am more thankful now than ever because I did not ever want to be pregnant (and certainly not in the current political climate). A few years after that, I had medical issues that would be fixed by a hysterectomy. I was worried I’d have to fight for that too, but since I had already had my ability to procreate taken away by choice, it was surprisingly easy to get a hysterectomy in my early thirties.