The QS procedure is non-surgical. To insert the pellets of quinacrine antibiotic into the patient's uterus, a doctor, nurse, or midwife uses a modified IUD inserter. The result permanently diables a woman's ability to become pregnant.

No. It takes 6-12 weeks for scars to develop in the fallopian tubes. Therefore, the patient must use another effective contraceptive method for 12 weeks after the first QS procedure.

Can the patient become sterile from just one insertion? It is possible. However, research shows that patients having 2 insertions were half as likely to become pregnant as patients who only had one insertion. If the patient cannot return for a second insertion four weeks after her first, she should go to the clinic or call her doctor for advice on what to do. Until she returns for a second insertion, she is still susceptible to become pregnant; therefore, she should continue to use another contraceptive method.

Although it is rare, a tubal pregnancy (a pregnancy which occurs outside of the uterus) is possible after QS (as it is also possible with most other contraceptive methods). QS does not cause tubal pregnancies, it just cannot prevent them. The tubal pregnancy rate with QS is lower than the rate in women who do not use contraception.