What are the symptoms if the fallopian tubes are blocked?

There are some women in life who are unable to get pregnant, which is mainly related to some diseases. For example, fallopian tube obstruction is a common clinical disease. In fact, the fallopian tubes are not easily damaged under normal circumstances unless you suffer from certain diseases, such as pelvic inflammatory disease. Fallopian tube blockage actually has quite obvious symptoms, but women don’t discover it in time. So, what are the symptoms if the fallopian tubes are blocked?

Clinical manifestations

Generally speaking, there are no typical symptoms. The most common manifestation is infertility. The fallopian tube plays an important role in transporting sperm, absorbing eggs and transporting fertilized eggs to the uterine cavity. Blockage of the fallopian tube hinders the passage of sperm and fertilized eggs, leading to infertility or ectopic pregnancy. If the fallopian tube obstruction is caused by pelvic inflammation, it may be accompanied by lower abdominal pain, back pain, increased secretions, pain during sexual intercourse, etc.

Causes

1. Infection

Most cases of fallopian tube disease are secondary to infection, particularly pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Other possible causes of infection include a perforated appendix, infection after abortion, or postoperative complications, such as endometriosis and inflammatory states caused by surgery, which can lead to occlusion of the fallopian tubes due to adhesions. Rarely, embryologically absent fallopian tubes are a factor in infertility, and the final cause may also be iatrogenic, such as tubal ligation.

Although pelvic inflammatory disease can be caused by a variety of microorganisms, chlamydia is the main cause of infertility. Damage to the fallopian tubes may already exist before the application of antimicrobial therapy. Sometimes the infection may be subclinical and exist in the fallopian tubes for months before diagnosis and treatment. This is in stark contrast to the acute onset of PID caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae. It is now highly suspected that chlamydia infection damages the mucosa of the fallopian tube through immunopathological mechanisms, while Neisseria gonorrhoeae damages the fallopian tube through related cytotoxicity. Other latent infectious pathogens include Mycoplasma hominis and endogenous aerobic or anaerobic bacteria. Pelvic tuberculosis accounts for 40% of tubal infertility in developing countries.

Infectious abortion is another major risk factor for tubal infertility. Preoperative examinations include bacterial vaginosis and cervicitis. Culture and serological tests should be performed when necessary, and the test results should be understood before surgery. We routinely use preventive antibiotics after abortion.

2. Inflammation/adhesion

Tissue trauma caused by surgical operations can also lead to a pre-inflammatory state or even adhesions. The incidence of postoperative adhesions is approximately 75%, and laparoscopy cannot prevent the occurrence of adhesion sequelae. The application of adhesion barriers (such as anti-adhesion membranes) can reduce the occurrence of adhesions by an average of 50%. The removal of adhesions will increase the rate of infertility. If serious diseases exist, in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) may be the only option.