The movement of the released egg (ovum) to and inside the fallopian tube can be handicapped by coagulation (clotting) around the tube and/or ovaries.

One fallopian tube in good working order is an essential precondition for achieving pregnancy. About 15% of fertility problems in women are attributed to tube problems. The transport of the ovum and sperm cells is no longer possible if the tubes are blocked (occluded).

A rising infection from the vagina, through the uterus to the tubes and abdominal cavity is the most common cause of tubal disorders and scar tissue in the pelvis.

If the tube is completely blocked at the extremity (nearest the ovary), the fallopian tube could be filled with fluid. This is called hydrosalpinx. The tube cannot function and the mucous membrane and the surrounding muscle tissue are also often damaged. Sometimes only the finger-like fimbrae that capture the egg are deformed by growth, but the rest of the tube is open.

In women, the cause may be, amongst other things, as a result of:

• Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD’s)
• Endometriosis
• Pelvic infection (Pelvic Inflammatory Disease - PID)
• Scar tissue as a result of abdominal surgery
• Congenital disorders
• Myoma

If only one tube is occluded, doctors can prescribe ovulation-stimulating medication so that more egg cells are produced during each cycle increasing the chance of fertilisation.

Depending on the location, the seriousness and the cause of the damage, an operation ( microsurgery) can sometimes restore normal functioning situation. It is important to bear in mind that solving a blockage problem does not always solve the fertility problem. Many women who have had their fallopian tubes operated upon must still resort to IVF subsequently.

If the tubes are very deformed (thick and rigid) and mucous membrane folds are no longer seen, then microsurgery is unlikely to be considered. In this case, the couple may be best advised to start immediately with IVF treatment. In an IVF procedure, the tubes, and any possible blockages, are immaterial because the eggs are removed from the body, fertilised outside the body (in vitro) and then replaced into the uterus As a result of the growing success associated with IVF, the number of operations attempting to restore tube function has decreased dramatically.