CELEBRATION, Fla. -- Up until now, women and men seeking permanent birth control have had few choices. Tube-tying for women and vasectomies for men can be painful and risky.

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Choices Expand For Permanent Birth Control

"I hated them because you forget to take them. It affected my weight," Sherry Pascual said.

Pascual took birth-control pills for years to prevent pregnancy. But when doctors told her a pregnancy would aggravate a current medical problem, she turned to a permanent fix, reported WESH-TV in Orlando, Fla.

"It was really easy," Pascual said.

Instead of having her tubes tied surgically, She chose a new process, called Essure. Dr. Steven McCarus inserted a small, spring-like device into each of Pascual's fallopian tubes. It took only 15 minutes. Over a period of three months, body tissue grows into the inserts, which blocks the fallopian tubes and prevents pregnancy permanently.

"This is not for the young, single, unmarried patient who just doesn't want to get pregnant," McCarus said.

But it was right for Pascual, who chose Essure because of her medical condition, and her personal decision not to have any more children.

"I think it's a great way to go, and you know, very easy and not a lot of pain," Pascual said.

Women are not the only ones turning to a more convenient form of permanent birtth control. Men also have a new choice. It's a little less painful, and a little less complicated alternative to a standard vasectomy. It's called Vasclip.

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"You take it and load one of these clips into the applicator," Dr. Robert Weaver said.

And like Essure, it's done quickly, in about 15 minutes.

Weaver has performed about 30 Vasclip procedures, in which a small clip is placed on the tube that carries sperm from the testicles, blocking the flow of sperm. Compared to a vasectomy, in which the tube is cut, patients are reacting positively.

People, they're happy, they have less swelling, less bruising, [and] they're back to work quicker," Weaver said.

Even though these procedures are now very convenient, they shouldn't be taken lightly. You should only choose Essure or Vasclip if you are looking for permanent birth control.

Eighty percent of the time, the responsibility for birth control falls on the woman. When men think about vasectomy, they are afraid it's going to change the way they function, but it doesn't.