Salpingectomy, tubectomy, or tubal ligation is a surgical procedure which involves cutting, tying off or removing of one or both of the fallopian tubes. The more invasive removal may be performed as part of a hysterectomy, but the relatively more simple cutting or tying is done as a contraceptive measure to prevent the egg from traveling down the fallopian tube to the uterus, from where it might get fertilized. The analogous procedure for men is vasectomy.