What To Think About

Some fallopian tube problems can be treated with more than one type of surgery or procedure. Ask your doctor for his or her success rates (birth of a healthy baby), as well as national success rates, for any procedure you are considering.

Hysterosalpingography may be done 3 to 6 months after surgery, to check whether the tubes have been opened.

If you do not become pregnant within 12 to 18 months following surgery, your doctor may do a laparoscopy to check the condition of your fallopian tubes or may refer you for in vitro fertilization (IVF).

When successful, a fallopian tube procedure can enable a woman to have more than one pregnancy without ongoing fertility treatment and repeated use of IVF.²

Complete the surgery information form (PDF)(What is a PDF document?) to help you prepare for this surgery.

Source: http://www.webmd.com

How Well It Works

The success of a fallopian tube procedure depends in part on the location and extent of the blockage, as well as the presence or absence of other fertility problems.

• Clearing a blockage in the part of the tube closest to the uterus (proximal occlusion) is more likely to be successful. These blockages often are functional (such as a mucus plug) rather than structural (such as scarring or other obstruction). Up to 60 out of 100 women with proximal occlusion have been reported to have successful pregnancies after tubal surgery.²
• From 20 to 30 out of 100 women with a blockage near the end of the fallopian tube have had successful pregnancies after tubal surgery.²
• The amount of fallopian tube that remains after surgery is critical to the function of the tube. If a large part of the tube must be removed to eliminate blockage, the likelihood of pregnancy after surgery is reduced.

The success of a sterilization reversal is influenced by the tubal ligation method used, by how recently the tubal ligation was done, and by the woman's age-related fertility.

Other conditions that affect the success of surgery include not only whether the woman has scar tissue (adhesions) in her pelvis and whether she has other diseases in the pelvic area but also the surgeon's level of skill and experience.

Source: http://www.webmd.com