Is it necessary to remove the fallopian tube for ectopic pregnancy?

Ectopic pregnancy is an abnormal type of pregnancy. Once this happens, the pregnancy must be terminated in time. The treatment is generally to remove the fallopian tube. We know that the fallopian tube is a very important reproductive part of women, and its removal will affect their fertility. So, is it necessary to remove the fallopian tube in case of ectopic pregnancy? Let’s take a look below.

Why do I need to remove the fallopian tubes for ectopic pregnancy?

Most ectopic pregnancies are tubal pregnancies. When the embryo develops to a certain size in the fallopian tube, it will cause the fallopian tube to rupture. If the ectopic pregnancy occurs in the thinner part of the fallopian tube, the fallopian tube will rupture earlier. Otherwise, it will rupture later. Once it ruptures and causes heavy bleeding, the fallopian tube must be removed in this case, otherwise it may be life-threatening.

Is it necessary to remove the fallopian tube for ectopic pregnancy?

For women who have ectopic pregnancies, if they want to have children, they certainly hope to keep the fallopian tubes, but some may have to have their fallopian tubes removed due to medical conditions.

Generally speaking, if the disease is mild in the early stages, it is not necessary to remove the fallopian tubes. One or two medications can be used to terminate the pregnancy before the fallopian tubes are damaged, thus avoiding surgery.

However, there will be certain side effects, so blood tests should be performed regularly after drug treatment to ensure that the drug is effective. If the pregnancy is more than a few weeks old, surgery is a safer option than medication.

There are two ways of surgical treatment, one is traditional open surgery, and the other is laparoscopic minimally invasive surgery. The latter has less trauma, faster recovery, and a lower chance of postoperative incision infection and pelvic adhesion, and is safer and more reliable. Therefore, laparoscopic minimally invasive surgery is recommended for surgical treatment.

However, for some patients whose fallopian tube rupture is severe due to ectopic pregnancy, which is difficult to repair and accompanied by hemorrhagic shock, it is necessary to remove the fallopian tube on the affected side, otherwise it may cause greater harm.

Why does ectopic pregnancy still occur after fallopian tube removal?

Medically, the fallopian tube is divided into 4 parts. From outside to inside, they are the fimbria, ampulla, isthmus and interstitial part. Generally, salpingectomy refers to the removal of the isthmus, the distal ampulla and the fimbria. The interstitial part is the part of the fallopian tube that passes through the uterine myometrium and cannot be removed.

Therefore, after the fallopian tube is removed, the interstitial fallopian tube segment will still exist, and the embryo may be implanted in this special part of the interstitial part, causing an interstitial pregnancy in the fallopian tube.

In addition, the embryo may also be implanted in the uterine horns or neck, ovaries, or even rare locations such as the abdominal cavity, which is why ectopic pregnancy can still occur after fallopian tube removal.

Can I still get pregnant after having my fallopian tubes removed?

The fallopian tube is an important place for sperm and egg to combine. If one fallopian tube has to be removed due to ectopic pregnancy, natural pregnancy is possible as long as the other side is normal, but the pregnancy rate will be reduced by half.

If the unremoved fallopian tube has inflammation, adhesions, etc., you will need to receive treatment before you can get pregnant; if both fallopian tubes are removed due to ectopic pregnancy, then you will not be able to get pregnant naturally.