All You Need to Know About Blocked Fallopian Tubes!

Fallopian tubes refer to reproductive organs of females, which contact the uterus and the ovaries. Every month, fallopian tubes carry eggs formed in the ovaries to the uterus at ovulation. Here, ovulation takes place approximately during the mid of one’s menstrual cycle.  Pregnancy also takes place in the woman’s fallopian tube. 

If a sperm fertilizes the egg, it enters the uterus by passing through the fallopian tube for implantation. However, if you have a blocked fallopian tube, the sperm fails to fertilize eggs. Moreover, if fertilization takes place, the fertilized egg cannot enter the uterus. Pelvic adhesions, infections, and scar tissues are few common reasons related to a blockage in fallopian tubes. 

Symptoms of Blocked Fallopian Tubes

There are no specific blocked fallopian tubes symptoms, excluding the difficulty to get pregnant. Doctors classify the problem as when a woman fails to get pregnant without success even after one year. However, in some cases, blocked fallopian tubes show symptoms or other conditions, which include-

Pain in Belly or Pelvic Region

A few women experience pain in their belly or pelvic area as a symptom of a blocked fallopian tube. According to gynaecologists analyzing blocked fallopian tubes and periods, pelvic pain occurs regularly during the period or becomes constant.  

Ectopic Pregnancy 

In some cases, blockage in the fallopian tube causes fertilization out of the uterus. This refers to the condition of ectopic pregnancy. In most cases, ectopic pregnancy does not show any symptoms as well. Instead, gynaecologists and other doctors detect the condition at the time of scanning. 

However, a few women have pregnancy signs, like stomach pain on their particular side of the body or bleeding from the vaginal area. Any woman suspecting have ectopic pregnancy must look for medical treatment immediately. 

Pain in Lower Abdomen and Vaginal Discharge 

If a woman suffers from a hydrosalpinx type of blocked fallopian tube, she may experience pain in the lower abdomen and irregular vaginal discharge. Hydrosalpinx refers to the condition when fallopian tube blockage forces dilation of the tubes and fills with fluids. The fluid blocks both the sperm and the egg to avoid pregnancy and fertilization.

Other Symptoms as Per Your Underlying Diseases 

However, if you have a blockage in the fallopian tube because of pelvic inflammatory disease or endometriosis, you will have painful sexual intercourse and menstruation. Other than this, you will have a few symptoms, which indicate your pelvic infection, like-

• Pelvic pain at the time of sexual intercourse 
• Vaginal discharge with a foul smell 
• Vomiting and nausea 
• Fever of more than 101 degrees Fahrenheit 
• Severe pelvic and abdominal pain 

Causes of Blocked Fallopian Tubes 

Blockage in fallopian tubes often takes place because of pelvic adhesions or scar tissues. Scars take place due to multiple factors, which include the following-

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease 

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease may cause hydrosalpinx, which is also known as scarring of tissues. 

Endometriosis 

Endometrial tissues may form in the path of fallopian tubes. These tissues create a blockage. If the tissue is present on the outer area of any other organ, it may create adhesions or blockages to the fallopian tubes. 

STIs 

Gonorrhoea, Chlamydia, and other types of STIs, i.e. sexually transmitted infections, may scar followed by pelvic inflammatory disease. 

Fibroids 

The growth of fibroids may block your fallopian tube, especially when they stay attached to one’s uterus. 

Past Surgery or Pregnancy 

In some cases, scars followed by a blockage in fallopian tubes occur in women who have undergone ectopic pregnancy or abdominal surgery in the past. The reason is that both conditions result in pelvic adhesion, which is a common reason for the blockage of the tubes. 

Diagnosis of Blocked or Unblocked Fallopian Tubes 

After knowing the underlying cause and symptoms of blocked fallopian tubes, many people ask how to check Fallopian tubes are not blocked? For this, we should say that the identification of blocked or opened fallopian tubes is difficult. The reason is that tubes may open and close, because of which one cannot tell easily whether the tubes are close or there is a blockage. Luckily, we have different tests to diagnose the problem of blocked fallopian tubes, which include the following-

HSG, i.e. Hysterosalpingogram 

In this test, your doctor will inject a harmless dye into the womb, flowing in the fallopian tube. X-ray is useful to view the stain. If the fluid fails to flow in the fallopian tube, the doctor will find a blockage.  

Sonohysterogram 

Sonohysterogram is a type of ultrasound test or an imaging study of the woman’s uterus. The test uses various sound waves to create a picture of your fallopian tubes. This type of test is useful to identify a relatively large number of structures compared to HSG or any other test. 

Keyhole Surgery 

In the case of keyhole surgery or laparoscopy technique, your surgeon will create a small incision in your body and insert a small camera. The camera will capture various internal images of your fallopian tube. Laparoscopy gives the most accurate result related to block fallopian tubes. However, doctors may not recommend it initially, as the procedure is invasive and fails to treat the underlying problem. 

Gynaecologists may recommend the diagnostic procedures according to the medical history of patients and their underlying symptoms.  

Surgery to Treat Blocked Fallopian Tubes 

Your doctor will recommend surgery to treat blocked fallopian tubes based on your extent of scars and the exact location of the blockage. Blocked fallopian tubes surgery aims to open the fallopian tubes based on anyone method from-

• Removal of scar tissues 
• Creating a new opening on the outer area of your fallopian tube 
• Opening of the fallopian tube from its inner area

Types of Blocked Fallopian Tubes Surgery

Surgeons responsible for tubal procedures must possess the expertise and special training in laparoscopy and microsurgery techniques. Surgeons make a small incision and apply microsurgical techniques to perform tubal procedures. However, the question is How to open blocked fallopian tubes? There are the following types of tubal procedures recommend by doctors-

FTR, i.e. Fallopian Tube Recanalization 

If you do not want any incision or cut while opening the blocked fallopian tubes, you may undergo Fallopian Tube Recanalization. Here, your physician will use a speculum instead of making any cut or small cut. A speculum is a special tool used mainly to open the vagina. Once the vagina remains open, the surgeon will insert a catheter or small plastic tube into the uterus from your cervix. 

Later, your surgeon will inject a contrast liquid from the catheter and take an X-ray of the fallopian tubes and uterus to identify the blockage. In the last step, your surgeon inserts another small catheter for clearing the blockage. However, the process suits particular types or forms of tubal blockage only.

Salpingostomy Surgery

In Salpingostomy type of surgery, your doctor will open the blocked fallopian tube by filling a hydrosalpinx fluid. Accordingly, the surgeon will remove the blockage by opening the fallopian tube but leave the respective tube in its place. Doctors will leave the incision in the process of salpingostomy open to allow it to heal on its own.

Salpingectomy Surgery 

Salpingectomy Surgery is somewhat similar to Salpingostomy surgery. However, your doctor will remove the fallopian tube filled with hydrosalpinx while performing the procedure of Salpingectomy. Moreover, your doctor may recommend a bilateral procedure to remove both fallopian tubes and improve your IVF chance, i.e. in vitro fertilization. 

Doctors involved in Salpingectomy Surgery adopt two different ways to perform the procedure, which include-

• The application of a pre-tied surgical look and tightening the knot across the fallopian tube for its removal
• Destroying of blood vessels belonging to the fallopian tube

Tubal Ligation Reversal Procedure

If you had blocked or cut fallopian tubes to avoid pregnancy, you might try tubal ligation reversal surgery. The procedure will reconnect the cut or blocked parts of your fallopian tube to allow the travelling of the eggs from the tubes again. In this surgery, your doctor will use general anaesthesia to create small cuts in your abdominal area and remove the blocked or cut parts of the fallopian tubes. Later they use absorbable stitches for reconnecting the tubes. 

Fimbrioplasty Procedure

If your fallopian tube blockage is near your ovary, you have to undergo a Fimbrioplasty procedure. The process opens your blocked tubes and saves fimbriae tissues to allow easy movement of the eggs from them. The fimbriae refer to a few small projections present at the end area of fallopian tubes. These projections work similarly to fingers to select the egg released by the ovary. Fimbrioplasty is a subset of salpingostomy, but the additional thing is that your doctor will not only clear the tube blockage, but it also rebuilds your fimbriae. 

Successful Pregnancy or Outlook of Fallopian Tube Surgery

The success of any procedure related to the fallopian tube depends solely on the extent and location of the blockage. It also depends on the absence or presence of any other fertility issue. 

• Clearing the tube blockage closest to your uterus is likely to become successful. Such blockages are functional ones similar to mucus plugs as compared to structural or any other obstruction. Furthermore, your pregnancy becomes sure if you strictly follow post-surgery guidelines and intake the prescribed medicine for blocked fallopian tubes. 
• Approximately 60 from 100 women suffering from proximal occlusion have obtained successful pregnancies after undergoing tubal surgery. 
• About 20 women to 30 women from 100 women succeeded to achieve pregnancies after tubal surgery; even they have a blockage at the tube’s ends. 
• The probability of getting pregnant after surgery reduces if doctors remove a large part of your fallopian tube to eliminate its blockage. Accordingly, the remaining amount of fallopian tube post-surgery is critical to the mechanism of the fallopian tube. 

An interesting aspect is that I got pregnant with blocked fallopian tubes. Accordingly, I can say that the tubal ligation method influences the sterilization reversal success largely. Simultaneously, successful pregnancies depend on the recent tubal ligation and the age-related fertility of a woman.  

Along with this, you will find a few other conditions influencing your success of the surgery. These include adhesions or scar tissues in pelvic areas and other common diseases in pelvic areas. Along with this, the outcome of a successful pregnancy depends on the experience and skill of the involved surgeon. 

Simple and Easy 7 steps to getting pregnant with blocked fallopian tubes

Based on the types of tubal surgical procedures, it is clear there are you can get pregnant with blocked fallopian tubes by following anyone from the two ways. The first is repairing fallopian tubes via advanced microsurgery. The second is bypassing of fallopian tubes via IVF, i.e. Intro Vitro Fertilization. Regardless of the route you choose, you have to follow 7 steps to getting pregnant with blocked fallopian tubes. 

Step 1-Understand the significance of fallopian tubes to get pregnant 

Fallopian tubes are a crucial part of achieving pregnancy in the case of natural unassisted conception. These tubes have a few finger-like projections at the end for collecting the ovulated egg formed on the adjacent ovary. 

Indeed, fallopian tubes must move freely and never stuck to the uterus, pelvic walls, or ovaries due to adhesions. The tube also safeguards the egg until and unless a sperm fertilizes it. Later, the fertilized egg nurtures the embryo while moving through the tube length to reach the uterus after five days. 

Fallopian tubes have to be patent or open to work as incubators. In this way, the sperm and the egg meet to allow initial stages related to embryo development. Other than this, inner linings of fallopian tubes are conveyor systems, as they move the developed embryo to the uterus to cause implantation after 3 to 5 days of ovulation.   

However, if you have tubal factor infertility, i.e. blocked or damaged fallopian tubes, the sperm and the egg cannot interact properly. Blocked tubes also lead to obstruction in embryos movement and avoiding pregnancies.

Step 2-Understand the Underlying Cause behind Damage or Blockage of Fallopian Tubes 

The fallopian tubes have delicate structures similar to pencil leads. Hence, they can damage or block easily to cause the condition of tubal infertility. The blocked tubes reduce the probability of sperm contacting the egg. In this way, blocked fallopian tubes prevent uterus implantation and embryo development.  

Blockage occurs because of scars from infection or any other pelvic and abdominal surgeries, which involve ovaries or fallopian tubes. However, PID, i.e. pelvic inflammatory disease, is a common reason related to tubal infertility. The condition also leads to an increase in risk related to subsequent ectopic pregnancy. 

Other than this, using a contraceptive loop or inter-uterine contraceptive device is also a common cause of damage to the fallopian tube. However, one can have a damaged fallopian tube or infection because of sexually transmitted diseases and endometriosis. 

Step 3-Contact a Reputed Fertility Clinic 

Getting pregnant with a blocked fallopian tube is possible only if you undergo proper treatment of it promptly. For this, you have to look for a reputed fertility clinic in your area. Reputed fertility centres have experienced embryologists, qualified OT staff, nurses and other medical practitioners, and many more. Besides, good fertility clinics have friendly staff to make sure of the best possible treatment and care.

Step 4-Initial Consultation with IVF Specialists 

You will have a meeting with an IVF specialist during your initial consultation phase. You will get an opportunity to discuss the available options and start your plan for parenthood. The initial consultation consists of half an hour, during which experienced fertility doctors will-

• Give a detailed review related to the medical history of a patient
• Conduct blood tests and comprehensive level of physical infertility examinations 
• Give in-depth answers and explanations to the queries 
• Details of treatment options available  
• Create a personalized plan for fertility treatment

Step 5-Determine the Extent of Damaged Fallopian Tubes 

Qualified fertility specialists determine the damage or block in your fallopian tubes using HSG, i.e. a type of pelvic X-ray. If the fallopian tube is relatively less flexible, it cannot pick the egg whenever the ovary released it to enter the uterus. 

If you have a total blockage in the tube, the sperm cannot fertilize the produced egg to form an embryo. Once your IVF specialist determines the severity and position of the blockage or damage, he/she will suggest the right treatment for you. 

Step 6-Selection of Your Treatment of Blocked Fallopian Tubes

You are available with two different options for the treatment of damaged or blocked fallopian tubes. These are tubal surgeries and In Vitro Fertilization. 

Tubal Surgery

Tubal Surgery may be of any type depending on the severity and location of the fallopian tube damage or blockage. 

In Vitro Fertilization

In Vitro Fertilization is a preferable option for all women with missing or damaged fallopian tubes. It belongs to the category of assisted reproduction technology. Here fertilization of the sperm and the egg takes place outside of a woman’s body to create an embryo. Later, the embryo reaches the uterus to cause implantation and pregnancy. 

However, IVF consists of a series of different procedures, which you have to complete in five different stages to complete a treatment cycle. The process starts with ovarian stimulation and ends at the embryo transfer stage. The complete cycle requires three weeks.  

Step 7-Completion of Your Treatment 

After selecting the treatment procedure, you have to complete your treatment and follow care precautions. 

Conclusion 

Blocked fallopian tubes are one of the major fertility issues found in women. The main problem is that blocked tubes do not show any symptoms of their own. Instead, a few women undergo diagnosis when they experience mild to severe pain in their pelvic areas or abdomen. 

Luckily, gynecologists and surgeons may help overcome the condition of blocked fallopian tubes via a wide range of tubal surgical methods. Nevertheless, this type of surgery depends on the area of the blockage also the patients’ physical condition. The positive aspect is that women undergoing the right surgery and following a few important steps may get pregnant with blocked fallopian tubes. 

FAQs

How do I know if my fallopian tube is blocked?

Any blocked fallopian tube causes many women to experience belly or pelvic pain as common symptoms. The pain takes place regularly, especially at the time of menstruation. Blockage in fallopian tubes may block the entry of fertilized eggs into the uterus.  

Do blocked fallopian tubes need to be removed?

In most cases, doctors conduct surgery to correct your blocked fallopian tubes instead of removing them. However, the specific type of surgery to remove or correct the fallopian tube blockage depends on its extent and location. 

Can we get periods if fallopian tubes are blocked?

Yes, you get regular periods, as there is no relationship between fallopian tubes and the menstrual cycle. However, a few women with blocked fallopian tubes experience spotting issues and heavy monthly periods. Heavy periods make your pregnancy difficult.   

Can you get pregnant naturally with blocked fallopian tubes?

If you have a blockage in only one fallopian tube, you may still get pregnant. The reason is that eggs may travel from another part of your body, as women have two ovaries. However, natural pregnancy is impossible if a woman has both blocked fallopian tubes.  

References

https://www.healthline.com/health/womens-health

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321419#symptoms

https://www.healthline.com/health/womens-health/

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321419#diagnosis

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321419#treatment

https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/hw203637

https://www.webmd.com/infertility-and-reproduction/guide