Number of female sterilisations on the rise in Denmark

More young women have requested the procedure since the government lowered the age limit

The number of sterilisations among young Danish women has more than doubled since the government lowered the age limit from 25 to 18 years in 2013.

Experts say it is deeply irresponsible that the age limit for female sterilisation has been reduced to 18 years.

According to an extensive US study, 40 percent of women who undergo sterilisation at the age of 18-25 regret that decision later in life.

Meanwhile, figures from the State Serum Institute show that some 31 women aged 18-25 got sterilised last year, which is more than double compared with 2014 when only 14 women made that choice.

Change of heart
“The younger they are when they get sterilised, the greater the risk they will regret it,” Lars Franch Andersen, the head of the gynaecology and obstetrics department at Hillerød Hospital, told Metroxpress.

“Perhaps the idea of having children at the age of 20 seems overwhelming, but this can change ten years later when a women turns 30.”

Before a woman is allowed to be sterilised in Denmark, she must undergo a six-month reflection period to make sure she really wants to get this irreversible procedure done.




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