This Mother Was Told She Is "Too Young" To Have Her Tubes Tied

"I was reduced to tears by a medical professional who has no compassion whatsoever."

Contraception has failed pregnant mother-of-two Holly Maitland, so she wants to be sterilised by having her fallopian tubes severed and tied.

Holly Maitland / Via Supplied

"I was on the [contraceptive implant] Implanon with the first [pregnancy], the mini pill with the second and a much stronger pill and condoms were used when I conceived the third baby," the 22-year-old from Queensland, who is 27 weeks pregnant, told BuzzFeed News.

"All three [children] were very much unplanned."

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Maitland got a referral from her GP to Cairns Base Hospital in northern Queensland to discuss tubal ligation but her hopes were dashed.

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"We walked in and were straight up told: 'no we will not review the reports nor will we consider your tubal ligation due to your age'," she said.

Maitland says a specialist then asked her, "what happens in 10 years if one of your children passes away?"

"We will not replace our precious children if the unfortunate happens," Maitland said.

She said her three pregnancies have been complicated by gestational diabetes.

"We only have one hospital here besides the private hospital that does [tubal ligation]."

Cairns Base Hospital's obstetrics and gynaecology clinical director, Dr Samantha Scherman, said an obsetrician had explained the range of options available to Maitland "including [an intrauterine device] or a vasectomy" for her husband.

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"It is very unusual to conduct a tubal ligation on a 22-year-old as there is significant evidence through many studies that there is an extremely high likelihood the decision will be regretted in the future," Scherman said.

Tubal litigation is considered permanent and was not clinically recommended, she said.

"Reversing tubal ligation requires reconnecting the fallopian tubes and success is not guaranteed."

Maitland is not willing to try an intrauterine device for contraception. "I don't want to take that chance of it failing," she said.

Maitland claims her 30-year-old husband has been refused a vasectomy at a private clinic.

She said she has approached Queensland's health minister Cameron Dick and has launched an online petition about her situation.