Tubal Blockage - The Most Common Reason Of Infertility

There are many reasons as to why a woman may be having problems conceiving. The most common reason of infertility could be a tubal blockage that causes blocked fallopian tubes.

According to the medical survey, in the US today more than 6 million couples have problems when it comes to conceiving because one or both could be infertile. Then of these 6 million, about 1 million will be unable to have children because it has been discovered that the woman has suffered from some disease which has resulted in blocked fallopian tubes.

What causes tubal blockage?

Most cases of tubal blockage due to disease are caused by pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID is as an inflammatory condition of the fallopian tubes (salpingitis) and may also involve the ovaries (oophoritis), and pelvic peritoneum (peritonitis). In many, perhaps the majority of cases, PID is unrecognized or “silent”, and/or misdiagnosed. Endometriosis is another condition that can cause tubal blockage and is sometimes confused clinicially with PID. Congenital abnormalities or malformations of the uterus and fallopian tubes may also result in tubal blockage. In these cases, the blockage is usually at the uterine, or proximal, end of the tube rather than at the fimbrial end as occurs with PID.

What are the tubal blockage symptoms?

Tubal blockage symptoms in most cases remain silent, meaning there are no obvious symptoms noted. Female infertility may be indicative of tubal blockage. When one tube is occluded and other is patent (open), chances of infertility is less. But when both the tubes are blocked completely, it is difficult for the woman to conceive.

Mild nagging pain in lower abdomen may be felt by many women who have blocked tubes. This is due to the adhesions and scars in the pelvic area which causes pressure on the fallopian tube.

Sometimes there may be severe pain in the lower abdomen, especially during menstrual period. Since severe pain is not all that common for a blocked tube, other causes such as menstrual cramps, gastrointestinal problems and pelvic infection should be first thought of.