What is the surgery that unblocks your fallopian tubes?

• Buffer
• Tweet

There are several surgical procedures available to unblock fallopian tubes, all of them with the aim of increasing the chances for a successful pregnancy. One is a laparoscopic procedure, where a small incision is made in the abdomen through which the surgeon uses a laparoscope to view the inside of the tube and remove the obstruction. Another is recanalization, where the surgeon passes a tiny wire into the tube to remove the blockage. A third is salpingectomy, where a blocked fallopian tube is removed or sealed off in order to maximize the functioning of the second, unblocked tube.

Another procedure, tubal reanastomosis, involves removing the blocked section of the tube and then reattaching the two healthy ends. A procedure called salpingostomy creates a new opening in the tube close to the ovary. Fimbrioplasty, a type of plastic surgery, can be used to reshape ends of fallopian tubes closed off by scar tissue or some other blockage. Sometimes doctors will use more than one procedure to treat a blockage. There is also a non-surgical option, selective tubal cannulation, that clears the blockage with the use of a catheter, or cannula, inserted through the uterus and into the fallopian tube.

When one or both of a woman’s fallopian tubes are blocked, she will have difficulty getting pregnant. As the pathway from the ovary to the uterus, these 3- or 4-inch tubes – also called oviducts or salpinges – are where the egg and sperm meet and through which the fertilized egg travels to the uterus. Finger-like projections at the end of the tube nearest the ovary grasp onto the released egg and bring it inside, ready to be fertilized.

If the tube is blocked, the sperm may not be able to meet the egg at all. Or, depending where the blockage is, the sperm may be able to meet the egg, but the fertilized egg may be unable to migrate properly to the uterus and will begin growing inside the tube. This is a dangerous situation called a tubal or ectopic pregnancy. It is also possible that fluid from a blocked tube – an overabundance of the normal clear fluid in the tubes, or pus or blood – can back up into the uterus and prevent a fertilized egg from implanting properly once it reaches the uterus.

Because blocked fallopian tubes are the underlying cause for about one-quarter of the instances of infertility, this is generally the first thing a physician will check for when a woman is unable to become pregnant. An X-ray examination to determine if the fallopian tubes are blocked is called a hysterosalpingogram (HSG). This is done by injecting a radioactive dye that allows for viewing the inside of the tubes.

The fallopian tubes can become blocked from several different causes: tubal ligation (surgery done to tie off the tubes and intentionally prevent pregnancy); infection; adhesion; scar tissue; mucus plug; pelvic inflammatory disease; or endometriosis, where tissue similar to that found inside the uterus grows abnormally outside the uterus. The most common form of infection causing fallopian tube blockage is chlamydia, a bacterial sexually transmitted disease.

The success of surgery to unblock fallopian tubes depends on many factors. Generally, removing a blockage close to the uterus is most successful because in that area the problem is more likely to be a mucus plug, which is simple to clear. If a large part of the tube has to be removed, the chances of pregnancy become lower.

Any surgery comes with risks. Fallopian tube surgery can result in a pelvic infection, scar tissue or increased chance of a tubal pregnancy.

Resource by A.Moore

I just moved to Michigan from South Carolina. This is my first winter here and so far it's freezing. I enjoy traveling, drawing, camping, writing, and doing community service in my spare time. I work for a education company and help them with their outreach to teachers and students. Hope everyone enjoys my articles.

Related Research For Teachers, Students, and Kids