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Egg and sperm normally combine at the far (funnel shaped) end of the fallopian tube with 24 hours of the egg’s release. A blockage in the fallopian tube interferes with the sperm’s ability to reach the egg or if sperm can pass, an embryo may get stuck within the tube (an ectopic pregnancy).

Tubal problems account for a large percentage of infertility diagnoses. Over the course of a woman’s life the tubes may become damaged from pelvic infections, a ruptured appendix, past surgery, an ectopic pregnancy or a condition known as endometriosis. However, roughly half of women with a tubal problem have no known predisposing factor.

Tubal damage is screened for with a test called a hysterosalpingogram. Tubal factor infertility can also be diagnosed with a surgery called a laparoscopy. Because of the time, cost and limitations of laparoscopic surgery, this diagnostic technique has largely fallen out of favor.

In some instances, tubal damage can be surgically corrected. However, in most cases of tubal damage, surgery does little to improve the chance of pregnancy. Most commonly, in vitro fertilization (IVF) remains the treatment of choice for tubal factor infertility.

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