Blocked Fallopian Tubes

The fallopian tubes are a pair of slender and curved muscular ducts and the place where the egg combines with the sperm and channel for transporting the fertilized eggs. Fallopian tubes play an important role in pregnancy, once blocked, it is difficult for the sperm and egg to combine, and the embryo cannot be successfully implanted.

Common Causes

Endometriosis

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)

Uterine fibroid

Ectopic pregnancy

Reversal of tubal ligation

Complications from lower abdominal surgery, such as cesarean section

Congenital tubal dysplasia

Genital tuberculosis (still common in developing countries, especially India)

Every year, more and more women suffer from endometriosis and fibroids. In fact, 13.6 million women in the United States have moderate to severe endometriosis. Pelvic inflammatory disease is usually caused by sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhea, chlamydia, and surgical infection, which causes about 100000 female infertility cases every year.

All of these causes will lead to the adhesion and scar tissue inside the fallopian tube, which will lead to the obstruction of the fallopian tube. The fallopian tube can also be attached to other organs in the body, such as bladder, ovary, uterus, intestines, etc. The injured fallopian tube will distort, and the wall of the fallopian tube may also stick, resulting in complete blocked fallopian tubes.

Symptoms

Irregular menstruation

Abdominal discomfort

Infertility

dysmenorrhea

Others: such as abnormal vaginal discharge, painful sex, gastrointestinal disorders, chronic fatigue, can not afford protracted exertion, mental symptoms, and depression.

Diagnosis

In fact, there is no external feature that can determine whether the fallopian tube is blocked or not. If you've ever had PID, your fallopian tubes are 15 to 50 percent more likely to be blocked. The main sign of blockage is a failure to conceive. Fortunately, there are diagnostic tests available to check for blocked fallopian tubes.

Salpingography

Currently, it is a widely used method in the clinic. It can make a correct diagnosis of fallopian tube obstruction, with an accuracy of more than 99%, and has a certain therapeutic effect. It is the most commonly used inspection method to know whether the fallopian tube is blocked, the severity, and the specific location of the blockage.

Salpingoscopy

It is a method of imaging the intraluminal structure of the fallopian tube, during which recanalization of the fallopian tube is feasible.

Laparoscopic examination

The laparoscopic technique is a minimally invasive operation, the tissue and organs in the pelvis and abdominal cavity can be seen clearly, and doctors can make a rapid and clear diagnosis. Necessary surgical treatment can also be carried out under the laparoscope, which is the gold standard for the diagnosis of blocked fallopian tubes.

Ultrasound examination

It is an auxiliary examination of blocked fallopian tubes. For example, if there is abnormal fluid or ovarian cyst and other reasons causing blocked fallopian tubes, there will be thickening of the liquid dark area on both sides of the uterus.

Hydrotubation

Doctors will inject 20 ml of normal saline and antibiotic solution through the tube, and the fluid will flow through the tubal along the uterine cavity to the pelvic cavity. If the fluid can be smoothly pushed into the pelvic cavity, it indicates that the fallopian tube is open; if the resistance is great during the injection process, it indicates that the fallopian tube is blocked, and there are signs of blockage.

Treatment

Physical therapy

This treatment option can play a very good role in the treatment of blocked fallopian tubes at the early stage. It is mainly to take some superficial physical therapy means to improve the local blood circulation of patients until the rehabilitation effect is achieved. However, it is not recommended to use this treatment method for patients with a serious conditions.

Conventional surgical treatment

Salpingostomy, adhesion separation, salpingostomy, hysterosalpingosalpinostomy, salpingostomy, salpingoplasty, salpingo-ovariolysis were performed. The incision of conventional operation is large and the recovery is slow.

Salpingostomy

This treatment is still used in most medical institutions, but the curative effect is poor and the false positive rate is high.

Traditional Chinese medicine treatment

At present, it is found that PID is the most common cause of blocked fallopian tubes. Traditional Chinese medicine treatments such as herbal medicine Fuyan Pill can promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis and increase and decrease the dosage according to the condition of patients.

Modern pharmacology research shows that traditional Chinese medicine with the effects of promoting blood circulation and removing stasis has the powerful function of improving hemodynamics, hemorheology, and microcirculation. The ingredients of Scutellaria, gardenia, Houttuynia cordata in the formula of Fuyan Pill can remove the bacteria, mould, trichomonad, mycoplasma, chlamydia, and other pathogens detected by culture; effectively eliminate the inflammation and open the blocked fallopian tubes thoroughly.

At the same time, it can also be combined with traditional Chinese medicine external hot compress or enema, and moxibustion, which can reduce the excitability of inflammatory tissue, expand blood vessels of the local tissue, enhance the circulation of blood lymph, improve nutrition and metabolism, turn the pH value of inflammation to alkaline, and play an anti-inflammatory role.

Adjuvant therapy

Patients can also try the diet, exercise, and other auxiliary treatment methods at the same time, in which exercise can promote blood circulation and accelerate metabolism, accelerate the absorption of inflammation, adhesion tissue decomposition. Some results may be obtained for mild conditions. However, in fact, it may have no obvious therapeutic effect on the serious cases.

Prevention

Prevention of vaginal infection;

Be careful about induced abortion;

Timely medical treatment;

Pay attention to the hygiene of the reproductive system;

Exercise properly to improve immunity.