What Are the Treatments Options for Blocked Fallopian Tubes?
The CDC estimates that 1 in 5 women in the U.S. between the ages of 15-49 will be infertile each year. One common reason for female infertility is blocked fallopian tubes.
Whether or not you’re currently wanting to become pregnant, it is worth looking at what options are on the table to restore your fallopian tubes’ natural functionality.
You may have had tubal ligation surgery, or you may have suffered some complications with a previous pregnancy that caused your tube blockages. Whatever the case, read on to learn how you can get your fallopian tubes functioning once more.
Table of Contents
Common Causes of Fallopian Tube Blockage
So before we dive into the options to help you get your fallopian tubes in order, it’s worth learning all the possible causes of why they are blocked. We’ve mentioned a couple already, but here’s a comprehensive list:
- STD infection
- Uterine infection
- Ruptured appendix
- Abdominal surgery
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Previous tubal surgeries
- Endometriosis
As you can see there are quite a few ways your tubes can become blocked. In the case of uterine infections, it relates to such an infection occurring after having a miscarriage or abortion.
Also, the causes mentioned do not need to be existing ones. Instead, they may have contributed to your condition. Let’s now look at treatment options.
Tubal Ligation Reversal Surgery
If you had tubal ligation surgery in the past, it is possible to get it reversed. There are now various innovative techniques that doctors can use to reverse your blockage in surgery.
According to a Verywell Family article, the success rate of pregnancy for women under 40 who’ve had this surgery is 90% within two years! For women over 40, it can be between 40-70% depending on circumstances. So it’s well worth considering for most ages!
You can learn more about tubal reversal here.
Laparoscopic Surgery
If you have blocked tubes for other reasons other than previous tubal ligation reversal, then laparoscopic surgery is an option. In general, the success of this operation might be better the younger you are.
Also, the location of the blockage and how bad it is will be contributing factors to the success of this surgery for you. It’s best to get tests done and the doctor will decide if it’s the right choice for you. Plus, getting a second and third opinion is a good idea if you can.
Fertility Drugs
If surgery is not a route you wish to go down or does not work, then fertility drugs are a final option for those who want to have children. IVF treatment stimulates your ovaries so that you create eggs that a doctor can extract.
Then, specialists can put your eggs together with your male partner or sperm donor with the intent of creating embryos. The final step would be to transfer one or a couple of those embryos to your uterus.
You Can Treat Blocked Fallopian Tubes
You now know some key strategies to deal with blocked fallopian tubes if you wish to get pregnant. There are two surgical options and one option where you do not need your fallopian tubes to function as the doctor circumnavigated them with IVF treatment.
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