Understanding the Menstrual Cycle
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
Asian Patients Have Lower Rates Of Pregnancy And Live Birth Than Caucasian Patients
Tubal Disease
Anatomic defects such as tubal disease may contribute to problems in achieving pregnancy. Tubes are not just tubes, they are organs. They have muscles in their walls that contract and little fingers lining the inside of the fallopian tube that beat to move the egg and embryo through the tube into the uterus. A common problem involving the tubes is the damage that a sexually transmitted disease like chlamydia or gonorrhea can cause. These infections can enter the uterus and get into the tubes, damaging the muscles, preventing them from contracting, and causing them to accumulate fluid. This is called a hydrosalpynx. In addition, the fingers can be stuck together, preventing them from beating the egg or embryo into the uterus and perhaps allowing an ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy that implants in the tube) to occur. Scar tissue can form around the tube preventing it from acquiring the egg from the ovary, or even blocking the tube altogether.