Introduction
Hydrosalpinx is a disease that results from the symptoms of blocked fallopian tubes. Failure of IVF, infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and miscarriages are some serious outcomes of untreated hydrosalpinx.
Hence, when you're trying to conceive a child, finding out what hydrosalpinx is in detail, along with its causes, symptoms, diagnosis treatment options, and whether it is possible to treat hydrosalpinx without surgery, can help you achieve a successful pregnancy. Therefore, in this article, we have provided an overview of these to help you understand hydrosalpinx in a simple way.
Did you know:
- One of the common causes of an inability to get pregnant is hydrosalpinx. Likewise, hydrosalpinx and IVF failure are also interrelated. This was proved through various studies performed on women with and without hydrosalpinx. These studies confirmed that women who had hydrosalpinx showed 50% lower clinical pregnancy rates when compared to those who did not show any hydrosalpinx symptoms. 1
- Another 2019 meta-analysis (an analysis that covered 14 observational studies) states that the risk of loss of pregnancy in women having hydrosalpinx increases by 74% in comparison to those who aren't suffering from this disease. 2
- Apart from this, as per a review published in 2019, tubal factors are responsible for almost 25% of infertility cases. Among these, the most serious and dangerous form of tubal disease is hydrosalpinx, constituting nearly 30% of all these cases. 3
What Is Hydrosalpinx?
Hydrosalpinx is a medical condition that negatively affects female reproductive health and causes the symptoms of blocked fallopian tubes. But before we go into the details of what hydrosalpinx is, it is important to understand the role of fallopian tubes in pregnancy.
So, here is an overview: Fallopian tubes are the site of fertilisation. They are that part of the female reproductive system in which the sperm and the egg meet to finally form a zygote which forms the foundation of the foetus (foetus ultimately develops into a baby). Hence, for a successful pregnancy, the health of your fallopian tubes is a crucial factor.
Hydrosalpinx results in the formation of blockages in the fallopian tubes. This happens when your fallopian tubes get filled with some kind of fluid as an after-effect of an illness or an injury. 4
What Are the Main Causes of Hydrosalpinx?
The main causes of hydrosalpinx include endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), sexually transmitted infections (STIs), salpingectomy surgery, and other surgeries related to your abdomen or reproductive organs.
1. Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)
One of the common causes of hydrosalpinx is pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).
PID leads to the growth of an infection in organs such as your—
- Uterus
- Ovaries
- Fallopian tubes
Since it has the potential to cause an infection in your fallopian tubes as well, it can be one of the major causes of hydrosalpinx. Hence, PID can result in the symptoms of blocked fallopian tubes. The main cause of PID is sexually transmitted infections. 5
2. Endometriosis And Hydrosalpinx
Endometriosis is another of the well-known causes of hydrosalpinx.
In endometriosis, a tissue that closely replicates the endometrial tissue (tissue that is present on the lining of your uterus or womb) starts growing outside of your uterus. It results in the production of components that are similar to those released during your menstrual cycle (periods). Except, in this case, there is no exit passage (way to move out of your body) for these components.
As a result, the blood and other waste materials get trapped within your reproductive system, leading to the formation of blockages. These blockages can result in the symptoms of blocked fallopian tubes and become a cause of hydrosalpinx. 6
3. Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
As the name suggests, sexually transmitted infections are those infections that spread from one person to another while having sex. Commonly called STIs, these kinds of infections arise when several types of bacteria start growing in your reproductive system and spread through sexual contact with your partners.
Two common types of bacteria that can cause STIs and lead to scarring include the following—
As already mentioned above, STIs are also one of the major causes of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Hence, these infections can lead to blocked fallopian tubes and cause hydrosalpinx. 7
4. Other Possible Causes of Hydrosalpinx
While pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis and STIs are usually the common causes of hydrosalpinx, hydrosalpinx can also be caused due to other reasons such as—
- The presence of an infection in your fallopian tubes
- Surgeries that are performed on the fallopian tubes (for example, salpingectomy surgery)
- Inflammation due to appendicitis
- Surgery for appendicitis (appendicitis surgery causes tissue scarring)
Symptoms of Hydrosalpinx
Hydrosalpinx symptoms are not easily identifiable. However, in cases where hydrosalpinx symptoms can be detected, they might vary from person to person depending on the causes of hydrosalpinx.
1. Infertility
One of the greatest problems when you're trying to conceive a child is hydrosalpinx. Therefore, since hydrosalpinx and infertility are directly related, finding it difficult to get pregnant is one of the most obvious hydrosalpinx symptoms. Other than this, hydrosalpinx symptoms include several symptoms of blocked fallopian tubes.
Depending on the cause, common symptoms of blocked fallopian tubes can include—
2. Pelvic Pain
Since pelvic inflammatory disease causes hydrosalpinx, it can result in a lot of pain in the lower abdominal and pelvic region. Hence, pelvic pain is one of the easily identifiable symptoms of blocked fallopian tubes.
Apart from this, pelvic inflammatory disease can also result in two other symptoms of blocked fallopian tubes. These include—
- Abnormal vaginal discharge
- Dyspareunia (pain while having sex)
3. Problems Related to Your Menstrual Cycle
Menstrual abnormalities can happen as a result of endometriosis, and the hydrosalpinx symptoms that might become visible in this case can include—
- Chronic pain in your lower back and the pelvic area
- Heavy bleeding during periods
- Periods that last for more than 7 days
- Bleeding (or spotting) in between two consecutive menstrual cycles
Hydrosalpinx Diagnosis
Hydrosalpinx ultrasound, hysterosalpingogram (HSG) and laparoscopy are usually the main methods used for identifying hydrosalpinx symptoms.
1. Hydrosalpinx Ultrasound
A typical ultrasound scan (including hydrosalpinx ultrasound) makes use of sound waves at high frequency to produce images of your internal organs. 8 Hence, a hydrosalpinx ultrasound scan analyses the symptoms of blocked fallopian tubes by finding out if there are any blockages in your fallopian tubes.
2. Hysterosalpingogram (HSG)
Hysterosalpingogram, shortly called HSG, uses X Rays to produce images of your—
During the procedure, a special type of dye is introduced into organs like your vagina and the cervix to find out if there are any symptoms of blocked fallopian tubes.
3. Laparoscopy
Laparoscopy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure in which a laparoscope (which is a very small camera) is inserted into your internal organs by making a small cut in your abdominal area. This tiny camera takes images of the hard-to-reach areas of your reproductive organs to recognise hydrosalpinx symptoms.
4. Sonohysterosalpingography
Similar to a hydrosalpinx ultrasound, sonohysterosalpingography, also called sonohysterogram, is a method that helps identify the symptoms of blocked fallopian tubes by using sound waves to analyse your uterus. However, this method cannot be used to directly detect blockages in your fallopian tubes. It is still helpful to find out if there is any problem in your uterus that might cause infertility.
5. MRI and/or CT scan
Other methods that help detect the symptoms of blocked fallopian tubes may also be used. These include the following—
- CT scan (Computed Tomography)
- MRI scan (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
Treatment Options for Hydrosalpinx
After it is confirmed that you have the symptoms of blocked fallopian tubes, your hydrosalpinx treatment depends on factors like the causes of hydrosalpinx and the severity of your hydrosalpinx symptoms.
1. Salpingectomy Surgery
A salpingectomy surgery treats hydrosalpinx by removing the infected part of one or both of your fallopian tubes. Hence, it is a great way to restore fertility. However, it is important to understand that even though salpingectomy surgery has the potential to treat the symptoms of blocked fallopian tubes effectively, it comes with the risk of causing damage to the ovarian tissue.
2. Hydrosalpinx and IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation)
For women who are trying to conceive a child, hydrosalpinx and IVF do not go together because the symptoms of blocked fallopian tubes decrease the success rate of IVF. In such cases, hydrosalpinx treatment using another surgery called Sclerotherapy (before IVF) is helpful.
Sclerotherapy comprises drawing out the fluid responsible for blocking your fallopian tubes using a needle that works alongside ultrasound. After the fluid is removed, a sclerosing agent is inserted into the affected area. This makes sure that the fluid buildup does not lead to the symptoms of blocked fallopian tubes again in the future.
3. Hydrosalpinx Treatment Without Surgery
Hydrosalpinx treatment without surgery involves the use of medicines like antibiotics to get rid of the symptoms of blocked fallopian tubes by treating the infection present in them. This option is especially helpful in cases where the main causes of hydrosalpinx are pelvic inflammatory diseases (PID) or any other types of infections.
However, it is essential to remember that antibiotics only help in hydrosalpinx treatment by removing the infection. They don't have any role to play in treating blocked fallopian tubes by unblocking them or reversing the damage they cause.
4. Other Hydrosalpinx Treatment Options
Other methods that are used for the treatment of hydrosalpinx include the following—
- Laparoscopic surgery to get rid of scar tissues and other types of adhesions that might be causing your symptoms of blocked fallopian tubes.
- Surgical removal of the endometrial growths if the cause of hydrosalpinx is endometriosis.
Hydrosalpinx and Infertility: Impact of Hydrosalpinx on Fertility
Fallopian tubes are one of the most important components of your reproductive system as they enable fertilisation. Therefore, the presence of blockages in your fallopian tubes does not allow the egg and the sperm to come together. This makes pregnancy a challenging task.
Likewise, in hydrosalpinx, since there is a fluid buildup in your fallopian tubes, it not only impacts the process of fertilisation but can also create problems with implantation even when the zygote (cell formed after the fusion of the egg and the sperm) is already formed.
Hence, all in all, hydrosalpinx and infertility are directly related because the symptoms of blocked fallopian tubes ultimately make it difficult for the affected woman to get pregnant.
Preventing Hydrosalpinx: Is It Possible to Prevent the Symptoms of Blocked Fallopian Tubes?
Since, in most cases, it is not possible to prevent the causes of blocked fallopian tubes, there are no natural methods to prevent hydrosalpinx symptoms. However, you can prevent the symptoms of blocked fallopian tubes by practising safe sex and decreasing your risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Conclusion
All in all, getting a hydrosalpinx diagnosis from a reproductive health expert helps in the early detection of symptoms of blocked fallopian tubes. Especially for couples who are planning a baby following a diagnosis, you can also explore your options for hydrosalpinx treatment without surgery. These, along with other hydrosalpinx treatment options, can help you get rid of the hydrosalpinx symptoms and ultimately increase your chances of conception.
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