Holly Brockwell, 31, battled with doctors for four years before she was told she could have the irreversible operation
A WOMAN who was sterilised at the age of 30 says the NHS is "better off" after allowing her to have the surgery rather than giving her contraception.
Holly Brockwell, 31, battled with doctors for four years before she was told she could have the irreversible operation last year.
But the technology writer, who says she has "always known" she didn't want kids, has faced criticism about her drastic decision.
She appeared on Loose Women today, a year on from the op, to explain why she doesn't regret the having the surgery and respond to the backlash.
Holly told the panel: "On the face of it it looks like unnecessary surgery and the NHS is stretched but if you look at maths behind how much it would have cost them to keep me on the pill the rest of my fertile life, it would have been a lot higher.
"The NHS is better off for having done it - and that's putting aside the money seeing me for side effects, or potential abortions."
Holly, from East London, said doctors had pushed her to try the coil but as it would need to be implanted she would prefer to go through the sterilisation instead.
She first approached doctors when she was 26 about having the operation after experiencing "horrendous side effects" from contraception.
Holly said: "Everybody thinks they are going to have kids - you go to school, then uni, have kids and get married.
"I expected at some point it would kick in and everyone talks about a biological clock, but as I got older and had more serious relationships and I was old enough to do it, I was like 'I don't feel good about this, I don't want this'.
"At the same time I was having horrendous side effects from contraception, mainly the pill, and I was like I don't need that."
Speaking about being turned down by doctors for four years before being given the op, she said: "It's fair enough.
"They probably thought I'd walked in off the street and been like 'I wanna get my tubes tied' but I had done a lot of research.
"From the doctors perspective they have to make sure that because it's irreversible you are so certain, which is fair because you don't want people coming back and changing their minds.
"I was very young at the time, I guess, to make that decision.
"I was 26 when I first asked them about it.
"At 16 you're allowed to say I want a child and I feel like that's a bigger decision because it affects you and the parent and also the child and society.
"If at 16 you're old enough to say that then why aren't you allowed to say the opposite?"
Holly explained that she had exhausted her options of contraception but had already made up her mind about her future.
"I started on the pill at 18, and tried condoms, but it just didn't work well for me.
"Condoms aren't that reliable if you don't want to get pregnant.
"How do you know the career you want, how do you know you want a child?
"No one goes up to a pregnant woman and says are you sure you're not going to change your mind about that in 10 years."
Holly admitted that she's had therapy throughout her life due to a "rough childhood".
She added: "There are deep seated reasons but it's a bit disingenuous to other women who don't want kids to say it's because x, y, z but you can just not want kids because you don't want kids."
Sadly, Holly miscarried a couple of years ago after unexpectedly falling pregnant.
She told the Loose Women: ";I try hard not to think about it.
"I've always been super conscientious and doubling up using the pill and condoms - but if you're taking medication, or an upset stomach that can affect it, even if you do everything perfectly."
Her boyfriend Zac also appeared on the show and explained that he was happy with Holly's decision not to want kid.
He said: "I've never wanted children, it's never been part of my life plan either. I think one of the reasons we became a couple is because we're quite similarly minded.
"We're much more about being career focused and neither of us saw children as a possibility."
But Holly admitted she believes if the couple split and Zac met someone else he would be "more up for a compromise" to have kids than she would be.
Viewers took to Twitter after the programme to discuss their views on sterilisation, with some who were unable to have children finding the topic difficult.
Jacki tweeted: "Coming from someone who wasn't able to have children I find this quite hard to accept but at the end of the day it's her choice."
Paula said: "I hope for her sake she never feels the maternal ache that many of us have unexpectedly felt at several times in our lives."
Meanwhile Julie tweeted: "I was sterilized at 29 and am now 58 - no regrets at all! I did however have to pay but best £250 spent!"
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