There are many reasons why a woman may not be able to conceive. However, the most common reason of all is because there is a tubal blockage. The blocked fallopian tubes are either preventing sperm from reaching the egg or is preventing the egg from reaching the uterus.
This condition occurs because the fallopian tubes are damaged by disease, tubal ligation or simply a mechanical problem. However, there are two ways in which a woman can be treated for a tubal blockage to help increase her chances of becoming pregnant. In this article we take a look at the surgical methods used for helping to deal with this particular condition.
1. Tubal Anastomosis - This particular form of surgery may also be referred to as tubal reanastomosis and is performed where the tubal blockage occurs between the uterus and fimbrial end of the fallopian tubes. This surgical treatment will require the patient to be asleep and involves the actual blocked segment of the fallopian tube being removed. Once the tubal blockage has been removed then the surgeon will join the two open segments of the fallopian tubes together.
2. Tubal Implantation - This form of surgery will be used where there is either a proximal tubal blockage, or a blockage to be found between the fallopian tubes and uterus. Rather than the blocked fallopian tubes segments being removed, instead they are bypassed and a new opening will then be created into the uterus. Into this opening a healthy portion of the woman's fallopian tube will then be inserted into the cavity of the uterine. The other names which surgeons may use when talking about this form of tubal blockage surgery are tubouterine implantation or uterotubal implantation.
3. Salpingostomy - Sometimes referred to as neosalpingostomy, this operation creates a new opening into the blocked fallopian tubes and is the one most often used for dealing with distal tubal blockage which are found close to the fimbrial end of the fallopian tubes. That is the end of the tubes that is nearest the ovary which captures the egg after it is released from the ovary.
The main benefit for women to be gained from undergoing these operations to treat a tubal blockage is they only need to be carried out once. Plus often within the first year after having undergone this form of surgery, women who had problems conceiving before will find it much easier to conceive now.
However, there are other methods doctors may suggest to couples when they are trying to conceive a child but with very little luck. In some cases women rather than undergoing the forms of surgery we mention above will opt for IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) treatment instead.
Along with the costs being much higher for undergoing IVF, the chances of a woman conceiving on the first treatment are quite low. Plus this form of treatment actually does not treat the real cause of why the woman may be having problems conceiving. In order to treat a fallopian tubal blockage correctly, surgery on the blocked fallopian tubes is the only real course of action to be considered.