Blockages account for a good amount of all infertility cases. Almost 25-30% of them. Let us look into tubal infertility factors in women and how they are treated. 

Tubal causes of infertility in women can be a difficult thing to deal with, especially when one is not sure what exactly caused it. Understanding the causes of tubal infertility could help you alleviate your symptoms and find ways to bring back your fertility. 

Fallopian tubes are the female reproductive organs that help the egg travel once it is released from the ovaries into the uterus. It is also the part where the egg waits to be fertilized, meaning, fertilization happens. That is a pretty important part of conception, we’d say. 

What causes this type of infertility? Let’s take a look-

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Infections: Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) caused by bacterial causes such as chlamydia, 

gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, and salpingitis can ascend towards the fallopian tube from the vagina and damage the fallopian tubes. 

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Abdominal surgery: Damaged or obstructed fallopian tubes can also be caused by prior procedures. Surgery for conditions like endometriosis or uterine fibroids, as well as other 

types of abdominal surgery, may result in scarring that impairs an egg's ability to pass through the fallopian tubes.

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Diseases: Such as endometriosis can cause scarring between the end of the fallopian tube and ovary. Scarring can also occur when menstrual blood flows through the tube during 

menstruation, eventually forming masses that block the fallopian tube. This blockage prevents sperm from reaching an egg and fertilizing it.

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Most tubal infertility sufferers are asymptomatic. Often, women with substantial tubal damage don't realize their fallopian tubes are blocked until they visit a doctor for infertility, but they may have persistent pelvic pain.

All is not lost for this kind of infertility. People with tubal infertility can still conceive. Here are two ways how they can-

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1 Go for IVF: IVF is the best option for women with severely damaged tubes because their chances of becoming pregnant naturally are so slim, even if the tubal issues can be fixed with surgery. 

Your doctor might advise removing damaged tubes before IVF since extremely severely damaged tubes have a chance of filling with fluid (hydrosalpinx), which lowers the success rate of IVF.

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2. Or you can choose surgery: Surgery may be able to help you naturally conceive if your tubes are not severely damaged. 

After surgery, your chances of getting pregnant are higher if you are young, have less scar tissue blocking the tubes, and have a healthy partner's sperm. The possibility of an ectopic (tubal) pregnancy is the major danger following tubal ligation. A hazardous health issue called an ectopic pregnancy is more likely to develop following tubal ligation or tubal illness. As soon as you suspect pregnancy or notice a missed period, you should inform your doctor if you have had tubal surgery or tubal illness.

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Infertility can get very complicated and it is a very sensitive topic for many women. If you are having trouble conceiving, have been told that you have blocked fallopian tubes, or perhaps aren't even sure but are feeling some other sort of reproductive pain, take a deep breath and remind yourself to be hopeful. Head to your fertility doctor and clear your doubts about your condition and your course of treatment. 

We wish you luck on your fertility journey!

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References

• USC Fertility. (n.d.). Tubal Factor Infertility. USC Fertility. Retrieved December 2, 2022, from https://uscfertility.org/causes-infertility/tubal-factor-infertility/
• Briceag, I., Costache, A., Purcarea, V. L., Cergan, R., Dumitru, M., Briceag, I., Sajin, M., & Ispas, A. T. (2015). Current management of tubal infertility: from hysterosalpingography to ultrasonography and surgery. Journal of medicine and life, 8(2), 157–159.

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