Diagnosing Infertility
Tubal Disease
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Tubal disease is a disorder in which the fallopian tubes are blocked or damaged. Blocked or damaged fallopian tubes restrict the egg and subsequent embryo from making it from the ovary into the uterus, thereby causing infertility.
What Are The Causes of Tubal Disease?
- One main cause of tubal disease is scar tissue (adhesions), resulting from endometriosis, gynecological surgery, bowel surgery, Cesarean section, ruptured appendix or other internal trauma.
- Sexually Transmitted Diseases, which go undetected or untreated, such as chlamydia or gonorrhea, can damage the fallopian tubes irreparably.
- Tubal ligation (having your tubes tied to prevent pregnancy) and/or subsequent reversal of tubal ligation can also leave your fallopian tubes damaged.
How Does Tubal Disease Cause Infertility?
If the fallopian tubes have adhesions or scar tissue around them, it can block an egg and subsequent embryo from reaching the uterus, causing infertility. If the tubes are partially blocked by adhesions, sperm may meet the egg in the fallopian tube instead of in the uterus, and an ectopic pregnancy may occur.
How is Tubal Disease Diagnosed?
Dr. Zoneraich may be able to diagnose tubal disease through diagnostic testing:
- Sonohysterogram – a procedure that uses ultrasound to detect masses in your uterus that may be blocking your fallopian tubes.
- HSG (Hysterosalpingogram) – an X-ray procedure that uses a special contrast dye injected into your fallopian tubes to see if they are open or blocked.
- Diagnostic Laparoscopy – a procedure in which a thin lighted telescope, called a laparoscope, is inserted into the abdominal cavity through a small incision in or near the belly button. Through the laparoscope, Dr. Zoneraich can visualize the area around the fallopian tubes and ovaries to visually confirm the presence and extent of any adhesions. During this same procedure, Dr. Zoneraich is frequently able to remove the scar tissue attached to other organs and may be able .
How is Tubal Disease Treated?
There may be a number of options for treating your tubal disease. Laparoscopic surgical removal of the scar tissue may be appropriate for some cases. However, in many cases, if the fallopian tubes are severely damaged, it is often safer and more successful to bypass the fallopian tubes and use in vitro fertilization (IVF) to achieve pregnancy.
Tubal Reversal or Reversing a Tubal Ligation
At Advanced Fertility Care, we speak to a lot of patients that have had their tubes tied and now want to get pregnant. While there are surgical options to reverse a tubal ligation, it can be more costly and risky to perform the surgery with lower chances of conceiving than using in-vitro fertilization (IVF) to achieve pregnancy.
Click Here To Read More About Tubal Reversal versus IVF