Factores psicológicos que inciden en la toma de decisión de la esterilización quirúrgica y probables cambios posteriores / The psychological factors that affect the making of a decision for surgical sterilization and the likely later changes

The practice of female surgical sterilization in Panama during the past decades, motivated the realization of this study, to determine the factors which caused women to use this permanent contraceptive method, and to see if regrets later occurred after that decision, in the sterilized women. A sample of 151 women were selected, between the ages of 28 and 45 years, concurrently pregnant and with 2 or more living children at the moment of the study. Psychological tests were applied during three different phases (pre-operatively and subsequently 12 and 24 months, post operatively). Results showed that female sterilization did not cause long term complications, and amongst the majority of women conforming the sample, a stable psychological profile was found up to 24 months after the interventions, with a significant improvement in the last evaluation of the social adaptation variable, in comparison to the pre-operative assessment