fertility health information

Fallopian Tubes


Fallopian Tubes
A woman's two fallopian tubes lead upward from each upper side of the uterus and end near the ovaries. When an egg is released by an ovary (ovulation), it travels down a fallopian tube toward the uterus .After ovulation, egg fertilization usually happens in a fallopian tube. The fertilized egg then travels to the uterus, where it implants and grows. If a woman's fallopian tubes are blocked by scar tissue, such as from pelvic inflammatory disease, she may be unable to become pregnant or have a tubal (ectopic) pregnancy.
The Fallopian tubes have small hair-like projections called cilia on the cells of the lining. These tubal cilia are essential to the movement of the egg through the tube into the uterus. If the tubal cilia are damaged by infection, the egg may not get 'pushed along' normally but may stay in the tube. Infection can also cause partial or complete blockage of the tube with scar tissue, physically preventing the egg from getting to the uterus . Any process (such as infection, endometriosis , tumors, or scar tissue in the pelvis (pelvic adhesions) that cause twisting or chinking of the tube) that damages the Fallopian tube or narrows its diameter increases the chance of an ectopic pregnancy: a pregnancy developing in the Fallopian tube or another abnormal location outside the uterus .

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