The fallopian tubes serve as conduits from the female ovary to the uterus, transmitting eggs released during ovulation to a meeting point for sperm. Eggs and sperm generally fertilize in the fallopian tube; the newly fertilized egg then spends several days drifting toward the uterus, where it implants after fertilization. Several diseases can affect the tubes and interfere with their main function, transporting the fertilized egg to the uterus. Diseases that affect the fallopian tubes often cause infertility
Endometriosis
Endometriosis, implantation of the tissue that lines the uterus in places it's not normally found, can grow in the fallopian tubes. Endometriosis most commonly grows in the pelvis in areas close to the uterus, such as the fallopian tubes. Endometrial implants in the fallopian tubes bleed each month just like endometrial tissue in the uterus does. The monthly bleeding causes irritation which leads eventually to scar tissue formation in the tubes, Georgia Reproductive Specialists explains. Scar tissue blocks the tubes so that sperm and egg can't meet, causing infertility.
Hydrosalpinx
Hydrosalpinx describes a swollen, misshapen, fluid filled and dilated fallopian tube. Both endometriosis and pelvic infections can cause hydrosalpinx. Because the tube is abnormally dilated, a fertilized egg can't pass through it to the uterus. Hydrosalpinx fluid is also thought to have a toxic effect on both the lining of the uterus and the embryo, creating even more obstacles to pregnancy, the Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago states. Many fertility specialists recommend removing hydrosalpinx affected fallopian tubes surgically, since pregnancy won't occur naturally and the toxic fluid can decrease the chance of success even with in vitro fertilization.
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
Pelvic inflammatory disease, sometimes shortened to PID, is infection in the fallopian tubes often caused by sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia and gonorrhea. Around 750,000 women develop PID each year in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. PID often causes infertility related to scarring in the fallopian tubes in one in ten women who develop the disease. PID is also is a leading cause of ectopic pregnancy, implantation of the fertilized egg in the fallopian tube rather than in the uterus.
Tubal Torsion
Rarely the fallopian tube twists, usually due to hydrosalpinx, congenital abnormalities, previous tubal surgery or cancer in the fallopian tube, OBGYN.net reports. Lower abdominal pain with nausea and vomiting are the main symptoms of tubal torsion; surgery to remove or straighten the tube cures the problem. The tube is removed if gangrene has set in, if the patient is not of childbearing age or the tube is irreversibly damaged.
