What "Laparoscopic" Means
Laparoscopic surgery uses one or more small incisions — often less than half an inch — through which a thin lighted camera (laparoscope) and slender instruments are inserted. The abdomen is gently inflated with carbon dioxide gas to create room for the surgeon to see and work. This approach is used for most standalone tubal ligation and bilateral salpingectomy procedures that aren't done immediately after childbirth.
Why It's Preferred
Compared to open (larger-incision) abdominal surgery, laparoscopy generally means less pain, a shorter hospital stay (often same-day discharge), a lower infection risk, smaller scars, and a faster return to normal activity.
What Happens During the Procedure
Under general anesthesia, the surgeon makes a small incision, typically near the navel, and inserts the laparoscope. One or two additional small incisions may be made lower on the abdomen for instruments. The surgeon then performs the chosen technique — clips, rings, cautery, or removal — before closing the incisions with dissolvable sutures or surgical glue.
After the Procedure
Most patients go home within a few hours. See our recovery guide for a full timeline of what the following days and weeks typically look like.