A part of the female reproductive system the fallopian tube, plays a crucial role in conception. The fallopian tube picks the ovum from the ovaries of a female. The fallopian tube plays an important role in meeting sperm and egg where the fertilization process begins. It’s a form of a muscular tube connected by ciliated epithelial cells.
There are a variety of blocked fallopian tubes symptoms that can harm the egg from the ovaries to the uterus, resulting in stopping natural conception. In this post, we’ll understand the damaged fallopian tube symptoms, their causes, and the role of IVF treatments.
What is a Blocked Fallopian Tubes?
A fallopian tube blockage may occur when sperm cannot meet an egg waiting to be fertilized. In case sperm manages to meet the egg, the egg still cannot leave the fallopian tube and produce natural conception.
Blocked Fallopian Tubes Symptoms
- Women with blocked fallopian tubes may face pain in the pelvis or belly.
- Women having blocked fallopian tubes may face difficulty in conceiving.
- Regular pain during the period is a common symptom of fallopian tube blockage.
- A fertilized egg gets stuck in the tube due to the fallopian tube. This case is called an ectopic pregnancy. It is not possible to detect by scanning, and a woman suffers from stomach pain on one side of the body during pregnancy.
Causes of Blocked Fallopian Tubes
Once the blocked fallopian tubes symptoms, it’s mandatory to go through some causes of blocked fallopian tubes. Some of these include:
- Fibroids– They are noncancerous growths that are produced in the blocked fallopian tubes, causing obstructions.
- Tubal Ligation– It is a part of permanent birth control that takes place when a woman who doesn’t want to get pregnant takes tubes tied to prevent pregnancy.
- Prior Ectopic Pregnancy– If a woman has faced a past ectopic pregnancy, then there is a higher chance of damaged fallopian tubes.
- Pelvic Inflammatory Disease– Pelvis pain, inflammation, and infection could be caused by scar tissue that creates blocked fallopian tubes.
- Sexually Transmitted Diseases– Pelvic inflammation, obstruction of fallopian tubes, and scar tissue can occur due to STDs such as gonorrhea and chlamydia.
- Prior Abdominal or Pelvic Surgery– Several pelvic surgeries could possibly form scar tissue that negatively harms the fallopian tubes.
Fertility Treatments for Fallopian Tube Blockage
- Surgical Procedures
After discovering the blocked fallopian tubes symptoms, the next step should be selecting the fertility treatments for blocked fallopian tubes, particularly when the obstruction is due to scar tissue.
- Fimbrioplasty: The most common type of blocked fallopian tubes symptoms is Fimbrioplasty. When the fimbriae is blocked, this surgery takes place to detect the issue and repair the movement of the egg.
- Tubal surgery: The treatment includes eliminating scar tissue, opening the blocked part of the tube, and producing a new tubal opening. Tubal surgery is always based on the exact area of the blockage.
- Salpingostomy: Creating an opening within the fallopian tube is the main purpose of applying this procedure. The blocked area of the tube due to hydrosalpinx can be treated by this surgery.
2. Medications
Blocked fallopian tubes symptoms may cause infections but they can be controlled through medications. The doctor will prescribe antibiotics if the blockage is due to PID or an infection.
3. Tubal Cannulation
This is the minor surgery used to clear the blockaged area within the fallopian tubes. Hysterosalpingogram or laparoscopy are two main cases where a tubal cannulation procedure takes place, as it can be effective for different types of blockages.
In this process, doctors use X-rays and ultrasound to discover the exact area of the blockage. Then, inflating a small balloon or using a thin wire are two main sources of removing the blockage.
4. In-vitro fertilization (IVF)
One of the highly recommended treatments for those who face blocked fallopian tubes symptoms and infections. In this process, doctors retrieve the eggs from the ovaries and fertilize them with sperm in the laboratory. As a result, the embryos are converted directly into the uterus, by meeting the fallopian tubes totally.
IVF provides high success rates and is a convenient choice for people who are facing tubal infertility. However, the success rates of IVF may depend on the patient’s current condition.
According to WebMD, the rate of pregnancy for various IVF treatments is around 27.3 percent. That means, a 35-year-old woman typically gets successful IVF, which is given the common nature of fertility.
5. Tubal Ligation Reversal
In this case, a doctor detects blockages and removes them from the fallopian tubes that were added while preceding a previous tubal ligation. A lot of cases require extra attention where a doctor surgically performs a tubal ligation reversal by eliminating the blocked areas from fallopian tubes and reattaching the two sides of each tube during the treatment.
The surgery is generally known as an abdominal surgery and needs at least two weeks for recovery. The surgery is quite effective in detecting the blocked fallopian tubes symptoms and treating them smartly. Moreover, there may be risks of tubal ligation reversal such as bleeding, scarring, infection, and ectopic pregnancy.
IVF for Blocked and Damaged Fallopian Tubes
In-vitro fertility (IVF) is a highly advised option for couples who want to become a parent but experiencing blocked fallopian tubes symptoms that cannot be treated. For example- if a woman has no fallopian tube obstruction, she may get pregnant through an IVF procedure.
During an IVF treatment, a doctor fertilizes the egg at the embryo stage into a woman’s uterus, by meeting the sperm and egg to connect to the fallopian tubes.
However, there may be risks of IVF including ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome due to fertility antibiotics, enhanced several pregnancies, as well as difficulties in egg retrieval including internal bleeding, pelvic organ problems, infections, etc.
Conclusion
Detecting blocked fallopian tubes symptoms can be disappointing, but fortunately, a variety of treatments are available to get rid of this problem. From effective surgical treatments to assisted reproductive technologies including IVF, couples can choose plenty of options to enjoy a healthy parenthood journey.
Discussing with qualified and experienced fertility doctors in the best IVF centre in Varanasi will guide you in determining the best treatment plan based on your medical history. By making the right decision, a lot of women with blocked fallopian tubes have achieved satisfied parenthood.
