What are fallopian tube conditions?

Common fallopian tube conditions including tubal blockage, tubal adhesions and hydrosalpinx. Pelvic Inflammatory Disease is the major contributing factor in the formation of fallopian tube conditions. Tuberculosis can trigger fallopian tube conditions as well.

Hydrosalpinx is a condition where a woman's fallopian tube has become swollen and filled with fluid. It's a condition that can occur individually without any obstruction of the fallopian tube. Tubal blockage, tubal adhesions and hydrosalpinx are the top causes of infertility in women.


What are fallopian tube conditions causes?

Most commonly a tubal condition can occur due to infection such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). The rate of tubal infertility has been reported to be 12% after one, 23% after two, and 53% after three episodes of PID. The Fallopian tubes may also be occluded or disabled by endometritis, infections after childbirth and intraabdominal infections including appendicitis and peritonitis. The formation of adhesions may not necessarily block a fallopian tube, but render it dysfunctional by distorting or separating it from the ovary. It has been reported that women with distal tubal occlusion have a higher rate of HIV infection.

Fallopian tubes may be blocked as a method of contraception. In these situations tubes tend to be healthy and typically patients requesting the procedure had children. Tubal ligation is considered a permanent procedure.


What are fallopian tube conditions symptoms?

Fallopian tube conditions can cause constant or recurring pain in the abdomen. A vaginal discharge may occur. For some women, fallopian tube conditions are asymptomatic, meaning they do not have any symptoms. As fallopian tube conditions cause infertility, it is sometimes discovered only when a woman seeks treatment for infertility issues.


How are fallopian tube conditions diagnosed?

For diagnosing fallopian tube conditions, your doctors would perform X-rays, ultrasound, HSG (hysterosalpingogram), or laparoscopy.

The X-ray procedure involves having a special liquid injected into the uterus. An x-ray is then taken that can detect the liquid's position and progress through the fallopian tubes. A laparoscopy to detect hydrosalpinx is much more accurate, but it is also invasive. The procedure involves passing a laparoscope through a surgical incision in the abdomen. The surgeon can then visually inspect the fallopian tubes. A hysterosalpingogram will demonstrate that tubes are open when the radioopaque dye spills into the abdominal cavity.


What are fallopian tube conditions treatment?

In most cases fallopian tube conditions are cured with surgeries. However, surgery is invasive and has several possible side-effects, one of the most common one being the risk of developing ectopic pregnancies. Very slight condition can receover without any medical care. In other cases, the patients' problems can be solved by medications such as TCM.There are 3 primary techniques of tubal reconstructive surgery:

Tubal Anastomosis - Tubal anastomosis involves removing the blocked segment of the tube and joining the two remaining open segments. It is also referred to as tubal reanastomosis or tubotubal anastomosis. This is the surgical treatment used when the tubal blockage is between the uterus and the fimbrial end of the tube.

Salpingostomy - Salpingostomy is creating a new opening in the fallopian tube. This operation, also called neosalpingostomy, is used to correct distal tubal occlusion at or near the fimbrial end of the tube caused by fimbriectomy, PID, or endometriosis.

Tubal Implantation - Tubal implantation is used to correct a proximal tubal occlusion or blockage at the junction of the fallopian tube and uterus. The blocked segment is bypassed by creating a new opening in the uterus and inserting the healthy portion of the fallopian tube into the uterine cavity. Tubal implantation is also called tubouterine implantation or uterotubal implantation.