One hundred and eleven cases of vaginal hysterectomy for sterilization, performed over a period of five and a half years, were analyzed and compared with alternative methods of female sterilization. The mean operating time for vaginal hysterectomy was 98 minutes, and the mean length of hospitalization was 9.5 days. Immediate morbidity of one sort or another occurred in 89 cases (90.0 per cent), while the incidence of standard morbidity was 40.9 percent (35 cases). These data compare most unfavorably with findings for interval tubal ligation by either the vaginal or laparoscopic approach. Our data indicate that vaginal hysterectomy for sterilization should be used only in selected patients where there is a clear indication for hysterectomy above and beyond the desire for sterilization.