Hydrosalpinx

As a companion to Amanda’s story, Mary is diving into hydrosalpinx. Hydrosalpinx refers to a fallopian tube that’s blocked with a watery fluid. To break down the term, “hydro” means water and “salpinx” means fallopian tube. This condition is typically caused by a previous pelvic or sexually transmitted infection, a condition like endometriosis, or previous surgery. Although some women don’t experience any symptoms, others may experience constant or frequent pain in the lower abdomen or unusual vaginal discharge. An academic review examined 5,592 women undergoing IVF. Of these women, 1,004 had untreated hydrosalpinx, and 4,588 had another type of untreated tubal blockage. Between these two groups, doctors performed 8,703 total embryo transfers. The following success rates were observed between the two groups: * Women with untreated hydrosalpinx had a pregnancy rate of 19.67 percent versus 31.2 percent for women with other types of blockages (the control group). * Implantation rates were 8.53 percent for women with untreated hydrosalpinx compared to 13.68 percent in the control. * Delivery rates for women with untreated hydrosalpinx were 13.4 percent versus 23.4 percent for women with other types of blockage. * Women with untreated hydrosalpinx saw higher rates of early pregnancy loss — 43.65 percent — versus 31.11 percent for the control group. Your ability to get pregnant with a hydrosalpinx will vary depending on the severity of your blockage and your treatment choice. Without treatment, pregnancy is possible, but chances of complications, like miscarriage, are higher. With treatment, the outlook is much better, especially with IVF. Your doctor is your best resource for information about your specific case and can help guide you to the treatment option that may work best for you. This episode was brought to you by Fertility Fundamentals. Fertility fundamentals is a naturopath led collective of women supporting each other in their fertility journey. Join the collective for free at www.facebook.com/groups/fundamentalfertility and come join your tribe! If you enjoyed today’s episode, subscribe to the Fertility Stories podcast and leave a review.