The following segment aired on The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television. Joining the show was Olympic Gold Medalist, Picabo Street to discuss Essure; a minimally invasive procedure that offers a 99.8% success rate in protecting against unplanned pregnancy.

The Balancing Act Lifetime Television Host Beth Troutman:  We all remember watching Picabo Street in the 1994, 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics.  She took home a Gold Medal in 1994 and silver in 1998.  Today, Picabo is married and is the mother of three boys. Most recently she underwent a procedure that she wants women to know about.  Also here with us is Dr. Lisa Roberts who practices minimal-invasive gynecology in North Carolina.

The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television: Picabo, you are such an idol to so many people. Now, with the Olympics finally here, has it gotten easier to watch from the sideline or do you kind of wish you were still competing.

Picabo- I don’t know. I guess it just depends on what day it is, honestly.  I think being a mom now, you easily step back away from it and watch it with a different set of glasses on.  But I think it’s always going to be difficult for me when the games roll around to not be re-living those feelings from start to finish.  I’ll always miss that but I truly enjoy my role as mom these days.

The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television: Being in the Olympics and winning a medal, it’s got to be a rush like nothing else?

Picabo– Yes, it really is. It’s the kind of rush that is hard to explain because it goes above and beyond anything that you experience in your everyday life. It’s in a league of its own just like the whole Olympic Games as a whole are.

The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television: I understand that after the birth of your third child you now have three beautiful boys.  You underwent a fairly new medical procedure. Can you tell us a little bit about it?

Picabo– After Dax was born we felt that our family felt complete.  We knew that we were finished having babies, so we knew we were in a permanent-birth-control category so I got out there and started researching our options, hoping that there was something better available than a tubal for myself and a vasectomy for my husband.  That’s when I found Essure and it all seemed too good to be true. Honestly, when I first read it.  I went in and talked to my gynecologist about it and she explained that it is that easy and really is that noninvasive, nonsurgical and they don’t mess with your hormones. There was no recovery time.

The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television: Dr. Roberts, can you explain how this works and tell us if there are any side effects or risks with this procedure.

Dr. Roberts- The procedure is very simple. Patients will come into my office and go into one of our regular exam rooms.  I will then place a soft, flexible insert through the vaginal opening and into each fallopian tube. It takes about 5-10 minutes to perform the procedure.  Patients will leave soon after the procedure and get back to whatever they had planned for the day.  The side effects are very minimal and few. Some patients feel some mild to moderate cramping either during or immediately after the procedure.  Beyond that, it is a very, very safe procedure. Much safer than a tubal ligation.

The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television: Picabo, why are you actually speaking publically about your decision to get this procedure?

Picabo– Because of what the procedure offers us. It’s 99.8% guaranteed for the rest of my life and I don’t need an unplanned pregnancy so I am super excited about that.

The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television: I wish I would have known about this procedure.  I had a tubal ligation years ago.  What are the differences between that and the new procedure we are talking about?

Dr. Roberts- The big differences are that you don’t have the risk associated with surgery or general anesthesia and then the recovery that follows.  With laparoscopic surgery, even though it is considered a minimally invasive procedure, recovery is one to two weeks and you’re going to have limitations in terms of lifting for another six weeks. With this Essure procedure there is really no recovery. Everybody like Picabo can get back to whatever it was they had planned to do, almost immediately.

The Balancing Act Lifetime Television: Going back to the Olympics, Picabo, who do you think we should be keeping an eye on during these Olympics?

Picabo- Obviously, all of Team U.S. A.  Anyone who has made it to Vancouver as a member of the U.S Olympic Team deserves our cheers. But I will be keeping a close eye on my girl Lindsey Vonn.  She is having a tremendous season and has got some pretty lofty goals set for herself in Vancouver.  She’s the type of role model we need out there for our next generation, so I am really hopeful that she’ll prevail and give us all something to smile about and some great visuals and memories forever.  And then there is Apolo Ohno. I am a big speed-skating fan and love watching Apolo.  He makes my palms sweaty.

The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television: Thank you both for education us on this new procedure and Picabo, for sharing your personal story.

The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television is the only morning show in America produced by women specifically for women. Every morning, The Balancing Act on Lifetime hosts Danielle Knox and Kristy Villa tackle the issues that face today’s woman. Popular show segments include Live weather updates with Mark Mancuso, surprise celebrity visitors, and news about the latest trends affecting your life, home, career and family. The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television airs daily on Lifetime at 7 a.m. ET/PT. For more information, visit The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television’s website at www.thebalancingact.com.