Blocked Fallopian Tube - How Can It Impact Your Fertility?

Being childless can be a cause of depression for many families, especially women. Infertility in women has a large number of causes. One of the main causes is endometriosis and while a woman may not be aware of it, the pain of having it and its implications does make it worthwhile to know what it is all about! To understand fully what endometriosis is, it is essential to know about the fallopian tubes. These tubes are on either side of the uterus and their purpose is to transfer a mature egg from the ovaries to the uterus. Other common causes of tubal blockage are pelvic tuberculosis, previous ectopic pregnancy, etc.

How do Fallopian Tubes Get Blocked?
The uterus has a layer of tissue which lines it, called endometrium. If a woman does not become pregnant, each month, the tissue is shed through the process of menstruation. A condition called endometriosis is caused by the growth of a tissue which is more or less like the endometrium. The issue is that this layer does not grow on the inner walls of the uterus; instead, it grows in regions where it really is not supposed to be present, such as the cervix, the bladder and the vagina.

This can cause a lot of irritation, inflammation and in some cases, can also lead to the formation of scar tissue. However, endometriosis is not nearly the only issue that can occur when it comes to problems a woman can face with fallopian tubes. Another issue is something called hydrosalpinx. This happens when the fallopian tube widens because it is blocked. The prefix ‘hydro’ is because the tube then fills up with fluid. This fluid prevents pregnancy as it prevents the egg from meeting with the sperm and being fertilised.

Schedule a visit with your doctor
When it comes to the diagnosis of the condition of fallopian tubes which are blocked, a doctor will usually examine a special type of X-ray which is known as an HSG. However, the reliability of this test is far from sure as there is about a 15 per cent chance that a false positive may be generated.

There are some solutions, for problems regarding fallopian tubes. When a single tube is blocked and the other is functioning perfectly, there is still a reasonable chance of getting pregnant and a doctor can prescribe drugs to improve the chances of pregnancy using the tube which is functional.

Laparoscopic surgery also has quite a lot of appeal for women having blocked fallopian tubes. It is used to open blocked tubes as well as to clean out scar tissue. Depending on how severe the block is, a 20-40% pregnancy rate can be achieved post-surgery. IVF treatment is also a viable option. Fallopian tube trouble can generally be overcome. But the first step is awareness!