Infertility is a common problem for women, but it’s not always easy to understand. There are many causes of infertility and many different ways to treat it.
A blocked fallopian tube is one of the causes of infertility in women.
In this article, we’ll explain what blocked fallopian tubes are and how they cause infertility by looking at some of the most common causes of blocked fallopian tubes and some possible solutions for getting rid of them.
What Is A Blocked Fallopian Tube
The fallopian tubes are part of the female reproductive system. They are about 3 inches long, and they connect the ovaries to the uterus.
The fallopian tubes help transport an egg from an ovary to a uterus for fertilization. When an egg is released from an ovary every month it travels down this slender tube until it reaches your uterus, sometimes also called your womb.
If sperm is present in your fallopian tube, which can come from either sexual intercourse or artificial insemination, then fertilization will occur there as well.
A blocked fallopian tube is a condition in which the fallopian tubes are obstructed and cannot do their job. This can prevent an egg from traveling down the tube, or it can prevent sperm from reaching an egg. In either case, this blockage prevents the woman from getting pregnant.
Blockage of your fallopian tubes may be due to scarring that forms after pelvic surgery or endometriosis, a condition where tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside of the uterus.
What Causes Blocked Fallopian Tubes?
Many things can cause the fallopian tube to get blocked. They include;
- Inflammation or infection (endometriosis);
- Scarring from previous inflammation or infection (pelvic adhesions)
- Radiation treatment to the pelvis or chest area
- Genetic abnormalities of the uterus, cervix, or vagina cause tissue to grow abnormally. The growths may block the opening of your uterus and/or cause scarring on your fallopian tubes. This is called “fibroids” if it occurs in your uterus and “cystic fibrosis” if it occurs at your cervix.
How Do you know if your fallopian Tubes Are Blocked?
Normally, the only symptom of a blocked fallopian tube is infertility. After a woman tries and fails to get pregnant after six months to a year, a doctor may decide to diagnose a blocked fallopian tube.
A fallopian tube blockage is usually diagnosed with a hysterosalpingogram (HSG), which involves filling the uterus with dye and then imaging it.
This allows your doctor to see whether there are any abnormalities in the shape or size of your uterus and your fallopian tubes.
HSG can be done by a radiologist or other medical professional and usually takes about 20 minutes to complete.
The procedure is painless and simple; A catheter is inserted into your vagina, allowing the dye to flow through both fallopian tubes before being released into one side of your uterus.
You may feel some cramping during this process but it won’t last long, usually any more than a few minutes, and you’ll likely be able to return home shortly after receiving treatment.
HSG results are available within minutes, so once completed, doctors can assess how well these organs are functioning together before moving forward with treatment recommendations based on their findings.
Can your fallopian tubes be unblocked?
Many women with blocked fallopian tubes choose to have surgery, which is the most common way to unblock them. Laparoscopy can be used to remove scar tissue from the fallopian tube or repair damaged tissue.
However, it’s important to know that not all women will be able to conceive after having their tubes unblocked through this procedure.
Some doctors find that only 15 percent of women who have had their tubes surgically unblocked can get pregnant within six months of the surgery, though this number may vary if you’re younger.
Other treatments for blocked fallopian tubes include medication and IVF (in vitro fertilization), though these methods aren’t as effective at opening up your reproductive system as surgical procedures are.
Blocked fallopian tubes can be treated.
While blocked fallopian tubes are a common cause of infertility in women, they can often be treated.
If you have blocked fallopian tubes, your doctor will recommend one or more options to unblock them and improve your chances of getting pregnant. These include:
Surgery.
This is the most common treatment for blocked fallopian tubes, but it’s also the most invasive option. During surgery, doctors remove uterine adhesions that may be blocking your fallopian tubes.
They may also remove scar tissue from previous infections or surgeries that have formed around your reproductive organs, such as an appendectomy.
Surgery may also involve removing scarring caused by ectopic pregnancies or other conditions that affect fertility.
After this type of surgery, some patients are advised to wait six months before trying again to get pregnant, but if you’re determined enough and willing to spend money on expensive treatments such as IVF (in vitro fertilization), you might get lucky sooner than that.
IVF with ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection).
IVF involves producing multiple eggs using medication. Then once an egg is mature enough to be released into a woman’s body during ovulation time it gets removed with a surgical procedure called laparoscopy.
To ensure fertilization occurs after eggs have matured they’re injected directly into each mature egg with sperm selected based on sperm quality.
That’s why we call this process “ICSI.” The procedure is called ICSI because it involves injecting the sperm directly into the egg.
The process of ICSI is very similar to IVF, with one key difference; In in vitro fertilization (IVF), a woman’s eggs are fertilized in an incubator and then transferred back into her uterus.
With ICSI, eggs are placed on a slide and a single sperm cell is injected directly into them.
IVF with ICSI is the most common treatment for infertility in both men and women. It can also be used to treat male infertility when other treatments have failed.
Conclusion
Blocked fallopian tubes are a common cause of infertility in women, but there are many ways to treat them.
If you have any questions about your health or that of someone close to you, we’re here for you! Please contact us today so one of our experts can help guide your decision-making process.
