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Endometriosis is a common and painful disease that affects about 5.5 million women in North America and is one of the top three causes of infertility in women.During a normal menstrual cycle, the lining of your uterus -- called the endometrium -- begins to thicken in preparation for becoming pregnant. If you don't become pregnant that month, your body sheds the endometrium during menstruation and the process starts over. In endometriosis, for reasons that doctors don't entirely understand, tissue very similar to the endometrium begins to grow outside the uterus in various places that it shouldn't. It can appear in or on the ovaries, the fallopian tubes, the various structures that support the uterus, and the lining of the pelvic cavity. Sometimes, it's found in other places as well, including the cervix, vagina, rectum, bladder, bowel, and elsewhere.<br> <br>The problem is that this tissue behaves like normal endometrial tissue -- it builds up and breaks down with your menstrual cycle -- but it can't be shed like normal endometrial tissue during your period. As a result, endometriosis can cause irritation, inflammation, and the formation of scar tissue. This buildup of tissue can prevent the eggs from getting out of the ovaries or being fertilized by sperm. It can also scar and block the fallopian tubes, preventing the egg and sperm from meeting.<br><br>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, a woman has a blocked fallopian tube, also known as tubal factor infertility. This can occur on one or both sides and is the cause of infertility in 40 percent of infertile women.<br>It's unusual for women with blocked fallopian tubes to experience any symptoms. Many women assume that if they are having regular periods, their fertility is fine. This isn't always true.<br> <br>
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Symptoms of Blocked Fallopian Tube - Elawoman Endometriosis is a common and painful disease that affects about 5.5 million women in North America and is one of the top three causes of infertility in women.During a normal menstrual cycle, the lining of your uterus -- called the endometrium -- begins to thicken in preparation for becoming pregnant. If you don't become pregnant that month, your body sheds the endometrium during menstruation and the process starts over. In endometriosis, for reasons that doctors don't entirely understand, tissue very similar to the endometrium begins to grow outside the uterus in various places that it shouldn't. It can appear in or on the ovaries, the fallopian tubes, the various structures that support the uterus, and the lining of the pelvic cavity. Sometimes, it's found in other places as well, including the cervix, vagina, rectum, bladder, bowel, and elsewhere. The problem is that this tissue behaves like normal endometrial tissue -- it builds up and breaks down with your menstrual cycle -- but it can't be shed like normal endometrial tissue during your period. As a result, endometriosis can cause irritation, inflammation, and the formation of scar tissue. This buildup of tissue can prevent the eggs from getting out of the ovaries or being fertilized by sperm. It can also scar and block the fallopian tubes, preventing the egg and sperm from meeting. 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, a woman has a blocked fallopian tube, also known as tubal factor infertility. This can occur on one or both sides and is the cause of infertility in 40 percent of infertile women. It's unusual for women with blocked fallopian tubes to experience any symptoms. Many women assume that if they are having regular periods, their fertility is fine. This isn't always true. 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 to 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. Symptoms of Blocked Fallopian Tube 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. Menstruation However, some of the causes of blocked fallopian tubes can lead to other problems. 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. What Causes Blocked Fallopian Tubes? The most common cause of blocked fallopian tubes is pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID is the result of a sexually transmitted disease, but not all pelvic infections are related to STDs. Also, even if PID is no longer present, a history of PID or pelvic infection increases the risk of blocked tubes. How Are Blocked Tubes Diagnosed?
Blocked tubes are usually diagnosed with a specialized x-ray called a hysterosalpingogram, or HSG. This test involves placing a dye through the cervix using a tiny tube. Once the dye has been given, the doctor will take x-rays of your pelvic area. If all is normal, the dye will go through the uterus, through the tubes, and spill out around the ovaries and into the pelvic cavity. If the dye doesn't get through the tubes, then you may have a blocked fallopian tube. It's important to know that 15 percent of women have a "false positive," where the dye doesn't get past the uterus and into the tube. The blockage appears to be right where the fallopian tube and uterus meet. If this happens, the doctor may repeat the test another time, or order a different test to confirm. Other tests that may be ordered include ultrasound, exploratory laparoscopic surgery, or hysteroscopy (where they take a thin camera and place it through your cervix to look at your uterus). Blood work to check for the presence of chlamydia antibodies (which would imply previous or current infection) may also be ordered. Potential Treatments: Can You Get Pregnant With Blocked Fallopian 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. Blocked Fallopian Tube Treatment
Laparoscopic Surgery for Blocked Fallopian Tubes 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 percent to 40 percent chance of getting pregnant after surgery. Blocked Fallopian Tube Causes Your risk of ectopic pregnancy is higher after surgery to treat tubal blockage. Your doctor should closely monitor you if you do get pregnant and be available to help you decide what's best for you.
Surgery isn't right for everyone. 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. Other reasons to forgo surgery include additional fertility factors besides blocked fallopian tubes (like serious problems with ovulation) or advanced maternal age. In these cases, IVF treatment is your best bet. IVF for Blocked Fallopian Tubes Before the discovery of IVF, if repair surgery didn't work or wasn't an option, women with blocked tubes had no options to get pregnant. IVF makes conception possible. IVF treatment involves taking fertility drugs to stimulate the ovaries. Then, using an ultrasound-guided needle through the vaginal wall, your doctor retrieves the eggs directly from the ovaries. In the lab, the eggs are put together with sperm from the male partner or a sperm donor. Hopefully, some of the eggs fertilize and some healthy embryos result. One or two healthy embryos are chosen and transferred to the uterus. IVF completely avoids the fallopian tubes so blockages don't matter. That said, research has found that an inflamed tube can significantly decrease the odds of IVF success. If you have a hydrosalpinx (fluid-filled tube), your doctor may recommend surgery to remove the tube. Then, after recovering from surgery, IVF can be tried. A Word From Verywell When just one fallopian tube is blocked, getting pregnant on your own or with low-tech treatments may be a possibility. However, when both tubes are blocked, surgery or IVF treatment may be your only options. Surgery may be covered by insurance, but IVF treatment rarely is. The high cost of IVF prevents many couples with this cause of infertility from being able to have a baby. Ovulation
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