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Praying4baby - July 27th, 2006 10:03 AM

Hello Everyone,

I'm new here and encouraged by all the great words of support that I've read. I was just recently diagnosed with a hydrosalpinx that is approximately 40% of the distal end of my right tube. My doctor seemed pleased that my left tube was open and told us to continue trying for at least 6 more months. But everything that I've read about hydrosalpinx suggests that having just one can severly decrease your chances, or possibly completely negate your chances completely. Has anyone heard of someone with only 1 hydrosalpinx getting pregnant naturally? My doctor thinks we should wait before opting to have it removed, but it feels like we've been trying forever and I'm not a getting any younger! Any advice that anyone can offer would be greatly appreciated?

Thanks and good luck to everyone :)

Praying4baby - August 4th, 2006 4:38 PM

Hmmm....I have yet to find someone with only one hydrosalpinx who was able to conceive normally. Not a good sign I think. :-[ Still keeping my fingers crossed. I've found some sites that say the presence of a hydrosalpinx can lengthen normal conception time to 12-18 months.

My doctor would like me to try taking Clomid for 3 cycles before exploring anything invasive. Have any of you hydro gals tried that before removal of the hydro or IVF/IUI? Just curious.


kazata - August 10th, 2006 5:34 PM

Hey, I just had a right hydro removed during a recent lap. (In my case it was due to a congenital defect - the fimbria portion of the right tube, though normal (not closed), was not connected to the remaining portion, but the remainder was closed at the top and constantly filling with fluid). We had been trying to conceive for about 2 years with no luck. (Never been pregnant). My left tube is normal, so I'm hopeful that I can now conceive naturally. This article is quite promising:

http://humrep.oxfordj
ournals.org/cgi/content/full/18/12/2634

Praying4baby - August 16th, 2006 10:09 AM

Hi Kazata,

Do you know how large your hydro was on the HSG? Was the whole tube swollen, or just part of it?

My doctor said that my hydro was only 40% of the distal end (which seems like alot to me but she seemed optimistic about that) and that my right tube looked completely normal. So she suggested we continue trying for another couple months and then try Clomid for 3 months before deciding whether to remove the hydro. She seemed pretty positive that we should be able to conceive with it in place, although after reading so many stories on this and other sites I'm not sure where her optimism is coming from.

Anyway, good luck! I hope things work out for you now that the "enemy" is gone! :)

Praying4baby

kazata - August 16th, 2006 12:51 PM

I don't know. I actually never had an HSG, because my hydro was large enough to be seen on ultrasound and we went straight to a lap at that point. The pictures of it (from the lap) look like a giant cyst though.

Looking back, I went to the ER twice for "ovarian cysts" which most likely were my hydro tube as well, as it was on the same side, and I remember the measurements the first time were something like 8 cm x 5 cm x 3cm, which seems kind of tube shaped, doesn't it?

Why is your doc suggesting clomid? Is it so that you will ovulate from both sides, so that you force an egg from the "good" side? Are you seeing an OB or an RE?


Praying4baby - August 16th, 2006 1:34 PM

I wonder if size has anything to do with the pain as well? I've never had any pain on the side with my hydro so maybe its not as large?? I know its just wishful thinking and all that probably matters is whether there is fluid in there or not. So any size hydro probably is not very good. Thinking about these things just occupies my time as we sit and wait.

My doctor (ob) suggested that we try Clomid for 3 months just so that we know for sure that I will have ovulated on my "good" side. I guess if we don't conceive then, there is a good chance that either the hydro is interfering or there is some damage/adhesions to the other tube in which case I'm sure a lap procedure will have to be done and I'll have to see an RE. But I'm still hoping and praying for the best!


kazata - August 16th, 2006 2:08 PM

Yeah, I don't really know whether size matters. To a certain extent it seems like it might, but then again, they don't really seem to know why hydro's make pg. less likely (whether the fluid is "flushing" out the embryo, or whether the fluid is toxic to embryos, etc., there are many theories, but they don't seem to know for sure). I thought that there were some early studies that indicated that those with hydros large enough to be seen on ultrasound benefitted more from removal of the tube, but those also said those that had bilateral hydro's benefitted more, and later studies seemed to counter that, so I just don't know.

How long have you been TTC? My RE will be monitoring me by ultrasound initially (to see what side I am ovulating on) and then if I don't ovulate from the left (good side), I might try clomid to get me to ovulate on both sides. I'd rather try it naturally though, you know? Since clomid can have other side effects as well, and it seems that as long as I ovulate on the left sometimes, I should be okay. Have you had any ultrasounds done? (I'm curious whether they can see the hydro on u/s - though I had some u/s where it must have just emptied b/c they were normal). Would your doc be willing to monitor you by u/s to see where you are ovulating?

I understand the hesitation - I was thoroughly convinced that I did NOT want to get my tube removed - it seems so drastic and the idea took a lot of getting used to. But I finally realized that there was no way that tube was helping me (as it is sealed off and no egg could get through) and it might be harming me (not letting eggs from the other side implant). I actually feel like I *could* get pregnant now, which I haven't felt like in a long time, so I feel like it was a good thing to get the hydro removed. Just sharing my experience in hopes that it might help you figure out your feelings about this. Maybe you could get a second opinon?

I hope it works out for you.


kazata - August 16th, 2006 2:11 PM

Oh, I just remembered that my RE gave me a study about patients with a one-sided hydro that had repeat miscarriages and that removing the hydro helped reduce the m/c's, so obviously, you *can* get pg with one hydro and one normal tube. (though I guess the hydro can also make m/c more likely).


Praying4baby - August 16th, 2006 4:53 PM

Thanks for all the info kazata! I really appreciate your advice. We've been trying to TTC for 8 months so assuming only my left tube is functional, and that my ovulation pain correlates to which side the follicle is developing on, I've only ovulated 3 times since we've started trying. I've read about the increase in m/c as well, which also doesn't make me feel very good. My husband and I have talked about getting a second opinion, but we decided to wait until we had officially been trying for a year before looking for a RE. Our insurance doesn't pay for any fertility sugery or treatments so we're really hoping it doesn't come down to that.

I'm not sure if my OB would monitor my ovulation by u/s, but thats a great idea. I may inquire about that next month. I've never had a u/s before, so I don't know if my hydro would be seen by that method.

I completely understand trying naturally though. It would stand to reason that the other tube should be just fine and all it might take is a little extra time to conceive. I wish you all the luck in the world!


kazata - August 17th, 2006 12:48 PM

Thanks for the well wishes.

I completely understand about the insurance issue - that is actually a big reason why we waited so long for me to have my lap. Just an FYI, I've heard from lots of other people that had laps that their insurance did cover it because it was coded for something other than fertility (for instance if you have painful periods - they can check for endo., or if you have pelvic pain, etc.) Check with your doctor if you want to go the lap route - they can usually try to pre-authorize the procedure, so you can find out beforehand whether your insurance will cover it and perhaps you can see if there is a chance it could be coded differently, depending on any other symptoms you may have.

Good luck to you too!

kazata - November 8th, 2006 7:13 PM

Just wanted to come back and update - three months after my surgery to remove my right fallopian tube (and over 2 years of ttc), I am pregnant. Incredibly, I had an ultrasound this month that showed I was ovulating from the right ovary (the side they removed the tube from), so not only is it possible to get pregnant after removal of a tube, but you can get pregnant from an egg released from the opposite ovary of the remaining tube. It took me a long time to come to grips with removing my right tube - but it looks like it was the right decision and it may have been stopping me from getting pregnant before!

Good luck!

Praying4baby - November 9th, 2006 9:27 AM

Kazata that is great news!!!!! I'm so happy to hear that things worked out for you. My husband and I decided to see an RE next month to discuss removal of my tube (12 month anniversary of ttc). I hope I'm as successful as you afterwards! Congratulations again! ;D

sunny72 - January 7th, 2007 4:38 PM

I just stumbled onto this post which may be old, but I just wanted to quickly add that I had a laproscopy in 2004 that showed one hydro. We tried an IUI later that year which didn't work with clomid also. I might add that we gave up on another IUI because my husband SA was zero, he had been ill. Three months later we conceived naturally?

Now we are TTC#2, one year later and still no luck. I had a HSG and found out I had mild hydro's both sides but both tubes were clear. So we will see I guess. I am going to go to a new RE and see what the options are and what the likelyhood of conceiving another is with two mild hydros?

Just thought some people may be interested in my little story.

Praying4baby - January 8th, 2007 4:37 PM

Hi Sunny72!

Glad to hear from someone else who has a hydro. There don't seem to be that many women on this site who have them. And I'm VERY happy to hear that you were able to conceive naturally with one hydro in place. If you don't mind, I would like to ask some questions about your experiences.

1. Did you remove or repair the one hydro tube during your lap in 2002?
2. Do you know how large your hydro was?
2. Did your RE offer any explanation about why you now have 2 hydros?

I have one tube that is a hydro and my RE has scheduled me for surgery to either fix it or take it out. I'm hoping it'll be clear sailing after that :)

Thanks!

sunny72 - January 8th, 2007 7:39 PM

Hi Praying4Baby,

Yes alas I am part of the hydro group. I had never heard of these hydro things until recently. . I should answer your questions.

1. Did you remove or repair the one hydro tube during your lap in 2002?

No. She just when in to take a look because I was having discomfort and infertility. No repairs were done. I started to focus on trying to conceive on my good side. My gynocologist who performed the operation just told me that one of my tubes appeared clubbed. She didn't mention the size or the seriousness of the condition. It appeared that the tube was not patent at that time.

2. Do you know how large your hydro was? she didn't mention it that I recall. I plan on getting my official medical records from that time so I can compare and analyze.

3. Did your RE offer any explanation about why you now have 2 hydros?
I don't have an RE this time around yet. New location, new doctors. I was told in '04 that the "clubbed" condition could spread so I should work on having a baby as soon as possible. However this time, the doctor described them as mild and both tubes are patent. The dye flowed freely from both.??

After my hubby does his SA test this week, I will schedule a new RE visit and see if I can find out more. I will definately let you know what I find out. I am curiously as to whether I have any fimbria? how they determine the severity and well, I just have a lot of questions for them.

I plan on kind of retracing my steps. I will ask if I could go on Clomid and see what happens. I am worried now though that both sides are affected. It doesn't sound like good news to me.

Praying4baby - January 10th, 2007 9:51 AM

Hi Sunny,

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions! I'm always looking for more information from other people who also have this dreaded hydrosalpinx. My doctor thinks my hydro occurred after an appendectomy that I had almost 18 years ago at which time a ruptured ovarin cyst was also cauterized and sutured (no actual appendicitis). I'm schedueld to have my hydro either fixed or removed later this month and then will hope for the best after that :)

I hope that you continue to post on this site, hopefully it will encourage others to also share their stories! Good luck with your husbands SA and doctors visit!

sunny72 - January 10th, 2007 10:15 AM

Hi again. That is my confusion about Hydrosalpinx. Not to embarrase others or judge, but they say a lot of hydros are a result of STD's etc.. I have never had one that I know of and I can't imagine how that could of happened to me personally. So I don't know how I would have had a PID? I would like to know more about it.


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