By Chioma Umeha
To answer this, it is important to first address
the question: What are Blocked Fallopian Tubes?
The fallopian tubes are two thin tubes, one on
each side of the uterus, which help lead the mature egg from the ovaries to the
uterus.
When an obstruction prevents the egg from
traveling down the tube, the woman has a blocked fallopian tube. It can occur on
one or both sides. This is also known as tubal factor infertility, and is the
cause of infertility in 40 per cent of infertile women.
How Do Blocked Fallopian Tubes Cause Infertility?
Each month, when ovulation occurs, an egg is
released from one of the ovaries. The egg travels from the ovary, through the
tubes, and into the uterus. The sperm also need to swim their way from the
cervix, through the uterus, and through the fallopian tubes to get the egg.
Fertilization usually takes place while the egg is traveling through the tube.
If one or both fallopian tubes are blocked, the
egg cannot reach the uterus, and the sperm cannot reach the egg, preventing
fertilization and pregnancy.
It’s also possible for the tube not to be blocked
totally, but only partially. This can increase the risk of a tubal pregnancy,
or ectopic pregnancy.
What are the symptoms of Blocked Fallopian Tubes?
Unlike anovulation, where irregular menstrual
cycles may hint to a problem, blocked fallopian tubes rarely cause symptoms.
A specific kind of blocked fallopian tube, called
hydrosalpinx, may cause lower abdominal pain and unusual vaginal discharge, but
not every woman will have these symptoms.
Hydrosalpinx is when a blockage causes the tube to
dilate (increase in diameter) and fill with fluid. The fluid blocks the egg and
sperm, preventing fertilization and pregnancy.
Hydrosalpinx: Treatment and causes
However, some of the causes of blocked fallopian
tubes can lead to other problems as well.
For example, endometriosis and pelvic inflammatory
disease may cause painful menstruation and painful sexual intercourse. But
these symptoms don’t necessarily point to blocked tubes.
If you have one open tube, and are otherwise
healthy, you might be able to get pregnant without too much help. Your doctor
may give you fertility drugs to increase the chances of ovulating on the side
with the open tube.
This is not an option, however, if both tubes are
blocked.
In some cases, laparoscopic surgery can open
blocked tubes or remove scar tissue that is causing problems. Unfortunately,
this treatment doesn’t always work. The chance of success depends on how old
you are (the younger, the better), how bad and where the blockage is, and the
cause of blockage.
If just a few adhesions are between the tubes and
ovaries, then your chances of getting pregnant after surgery are good. If you
have a blocked tube that is otherwise healthy, you have a 20 per cent to 40 per
cent chance of getting pregnant after surgery.
But if thick, multiple adhesions and scarring are
between your tubes and ovaries, or if you have been diagnosed with
hydrosalpinx, surgery may not be a good option for you. Also, if there are any
male infertility issues, you might want to skip surgery.
In these cases, IVF treatment is your best bet.
Also important to note is that your risk of
ectopic pregnancy is higher after surgery to treat tubal blockage. Your doctor
should closely monitor you if you do get pregnant.
