Tubal Surgery

Tubal surgery is one of the treatments that can help women to deal with infertility problem. Read on to find more about the significance of tubal surgery for treating infertility.Fallopian tubes play an important role in helping women to conceive. However, if these tubes are blocked due to some reason, a successful conception may not occur. In the process of conception the fallopian tubes are responsible for transporting an egg from the ovary to the uterus. The fertilization of an egg takes place in one of the parts of fallopian tube itself. This portion of the fallopian tube is known as ampulla.Once the egg is fertilized by a sperm, it shifts to the uterus where it continues to develop into a baby till the time it is born. In case if these tubes are blocked the successful conception procedure may not take place. In this case tubal surgery can help. Let us take an in-depth look at tubal surgery. In this articleWhen is tubal surgery recommended?Can this surgery treat all tubal obstruction cases?What is the success rate of this surgery?Are there any risks to this surgery?What are the causes behind the blocked tubes?When is tubal surgery recommended?In order for a normal pregnancy to occur, at least one healthy patent tube is required. Each tube forms a passage from the uterus to the ovary. The tubes are lined with many specialised cells. Some of these bear little hairs called cilia that set up currents to facilitate the movement of the sperm towards the egg in order that fertilisation may occur. A current in the opposite direction combined with tubal movements conducts the early embryo towards the uterus.Can this surgery treat all tubal obstruction cases?The causes of tubal obstruction were discussed in the section on tubal patency. Surgery is done to unblock the tubes. However, if the infection that caused the obstruction in the tubes was very severe, the delicate lining of the tubes may have become irreversibly damaged.What is the success rate of this surgery?Pregnancy success rates can be higher than 70% in cases of sterilisation reversal and when there are only fine adhesions distorting the tubes or covering the ovaries. Also with advances in surgical techniques, the introduction of the operating microscope, the use of finer instruments and non-reactive suture materials the success rate of surgery has improved greatly. Apart from the essential requirement of surgical skill, another factor that will affect the success rate will be the degree of the tubal problem.Are there any risks to this surgery?Tubal surgery can result in an increased risk of a tubal (ectopic) pregnancy. It must be remembered that even if the success rate is as low as 30% for the more severe cases of tubal obstruction, this is still better than the success rate of in-vitro fertilisation.What are the causes behind the blocked tubes?Here are some of the common causes for the blockages in the fallopian tubes.The growth of non-cancerous tumours inside or outside the uterus which are known as fibroids. Uterine infection caused due to miscarriage or abortion.Past abdominal surgery or surgery on the fallopian tubes causing the tubes to block.Building up of endometrial tissues due to the condition known as endometriosis. Growth of such tissues can cause adhesion thereby blocking the tubes.Scaring of the fallopian tubes due to the previous ectopic pregnancy. Infections like Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea can cause pelvic inflammatory disease due to scarring.Scarring caused due to pelvic inflammatory disease.Ruptured appendix.Any other surgery affecting the fallopian tubes.There is no particular sign or symptom of the blockage in the fallopian tubes other than that of the disorder due to which it is caused. Most of the women are also not aware of this condition. In fact they get to know about it when the causes of infertility are investigated after unsuccessful attempts of getting pregnant naturally. Although, it is one of the factors causing infertility, tubal surgery is an option preferred by fertility specialists for dealing with it.