How do I know if my fallopian tubes are blocked?

The fallopian tube is a part of the female reproductive system that carries the egg into the uterus. However, in many cases, due to illness or physical reasons, fallopian tube blockage may occur. Once the fallopian tubes are blocked, fertility will be affected. So, how can we know whether the fallopian tubes are blocked in life? If you want to know the condition of your fallopian tubes, you can only go to the hospital for examination.

It is a pair of slender and curved muscular tubes in women, 10 to 12 cm long and about 5 mm in diameter. They are located on both sides of the fundus of the uterus and wrapped in the upper edge of the broad ligament of the uterus. It extends from the two horns of the uterus to the left and right ovaries respectively, and is the channel that transports egg cells into the uterus.

Each fallopian tube is divided into four parts: interstitium, isthmus, ampulla and infundibulum. The interstitial part is contained in the muscles of the uterus. The lumen begins to be roughly inclined upward and outward. It is 0.8 to 2 cm long and has a lumen diameter of 0.5 to 1.0 mm. The isthmus is the posterior part of the fallopian tube, which is narrow and straight with well-developed muscles. It leads to the opening of the uterus and is called the uterine opening of the fallopian tube. That is the narrow part close to the uterus, with a lumen diameter of 2 to 3 mm. Then it gradually expands to the wider outer part, namely the ampulla; the diameter of the ampulla is 5 to 8 mm, which is the front part of the fallopian tube connected to the funnel, with thin and curved walls; the funnel is the funnel-shaped expansion at the front end, and the crack-like funnel edge is called the umbrella, and there is the abdominal opening of the fallopian tube deep in the funnel.

Except for the interstitial part, the rest of the fallopian tube is covered by peritoneum, which is connected to the upper edge of the broad ligament; except for the attachment of the mesosalpinx, it is completely surrounded by peritoneum, with the umbrella-shaped end opening into the abdominal cavity, and its convex part (i.e., the ovarian umbrella) is much longer than other parts; it forms a shallow groove, approaching or reaching the ovary.

The muscle tissue of the fallopian tube is generally divided into two layers, namely the circular inner layer and the longitudinal outer layer. On the distal side of the tube, the two layers become less distinct and are replaced at the fimbria by a network of interwoven muscle fibers. The muscle tissue of the fallopian tubes contracts rhythmically, and the contraction rate varies with the menstrual cycle. The greatest contraction rate and intensity occur during egg transfer, and are weakest and slowest during pregnancy; the lumen of the fallopian tube is covered with mucous membrane, the epithelium of which is composed of a single layer of columnar cells.