Fallopian tubes run from a woman's uterus and terminate in a funnel shape around the ovaries. More than just a route to the uterus, fallopian tubes are critical to a woman's reproductive health and fertility. Pregnancy usually begins in a fallopian tube, and damaged fallopian tubes can cause infertility and increase the risk for an ectopic pregnancy. Tubal ligation, which seals the fallopian tubes, is a common permanent form of birth control for women.
Anatomy
Embryonically, fallopian tubes develop from a structure called the mullerian duct, which also forms the uterus. That common embryonic ancestor means that the fallopian tubes form a direct physical connection to the uterus, while there is a small space between each fallopian tube and its neighboring ovary. The fallopian tubes surround the ovary with fingerlike projections called fimbrae.
Significance
At ovulation, a mature follicle on the surface of the ovary releases its egg, and the fimbrae wave the egg into the fallopian tube. In an infertile menstrual cycle, the egg will travel down the tube into the uterus and be lost during menstruation. In a fertile cycle, sperm swimming through the uterus and up the fallopian tube encounter the egg. A fertilized egg begins the cell divisions that will form an embryo as it travels down the tube to implant in the uterus. Fallopian tubes are critical as the site for fertilization and the earliest cell divisions in pregnancy.
Considerations-Ectopic Pregnancy
Because there is not direct physical contact between the ovary and the fallopian tube, sometimes an ovulated egg can get lost in the abdomen instead. This is not a problem in an infertile cycle. However, sometimes a fertilized egg can implant outside of the uterus, resulting in an ectopic pregnancy, which can be fatal if not detected in time. Although abdominal ectopic pregnancies can occur, tubal pregnancies, in which the embryo implants and begins to grow inside the Fallopian tube, are more common. A ruptured fallopian tube from an undetected tubal pregnancy threatens a woman's fertility and possibly her life.
Considerations-Tubal Ligation
Tubal ligation (having your tubes tied) refers to surgery to cut the fallopian tubes and seal the cut ends. The eggs can no longer meet the sperm, so this is a permanent form of birth control. Although tubal ligation is considered reversible, un-doing it requires another surgery to unblock and reconnect the fallopian tubes. The tubes can be scarred, decreasing fertility and increasing the risk of an ectopic pregnancy.
Warning
Damage to the fallopian tubes can make a woman infertile and increase her risk for an ectopic pregnancy. Pelvic inflammatory disease (inflammation and infection of the fallopian tubes and other parts of the female reproductive tract) can scar the fallopian tubes and is the leading cause of preventable infertility in the United States, according to Medline Plus.
