One fallopian tube.

[Kazzo]

Just been thinking of late and wondered in anyone could share some thoughts with me.

I was born with only 1 fallopian tube. This was discovered during a laparoscopy when I was 18. I was told that my other tube is fine and that having kids should be fine and it has been. I have 2 wonderful girls and plan on atleast 1 more (I would love 6 but DH met me in the middle) but not for another 1.5 to 2 years.

Since my period returned when DD2 was 5months it has been all over the shop, 23 - 30 day cycles. 2 - 13 days of flow. DD2 started self weaning about 3 weeks ago and that is when I had the 13 day flow. Is it normal to have a huge period when BF decreases ( still 1 BF a day)?

Also last night I actually started worrying because it has never crossed my mind until now that if I have only ever had 1 tube then would my egg count be half the amount of an average women and early menopause be something I could be looking at. Does someone have really strange periods before menopause starts?

It makes me worry because if it is a chance then I don't think I want to wait 2 years to start trying for number 3.
Sorry this is a bit of a ramble and sorry if I have posted in the wrong place too.

I know I should be seeing a Dr with these questions but my Dr is all booked till the new year and I refuse to google (frustrates me to much).

[Maruschke]

Sometime in the new year you can get an egg timer test (AMH) that will tell you how much longer you might be fertile. Unfortunately there is no way to know otherwise. I wouldn't google either - nothing that has happened to anyone else can predict what will happen to you.

[Kazzo]

Thanks Marushke. I am going through another period from hell now and my gosh I would love some answers now more then ever. I will be making an appointment first thing in the morning now, I just know something is not right.

[Phteven]

There is a pee stick that you can buy at the chemist that tests for menopause or perimenopause.

[chepie]

Hi hun,

I have one tube also, and I was told that your tube moves across to the other ovary to collect the egg... meaning that you still ovulated from both sides!! So I guess you're egg count should be really be kinda the same as a woman with two tubes..... Hope that makes sense xoxo Though I am no doctor!!!

[Kazzo]

Thanks Chepie.

I asked my Doctor and she said that as long as I still have both ovaries then I don't have to worry about early menopause. She said that I still release an egg from my right side but with no tube to guide it i just gets obsorbed into my body. So now I know that I feel better. Now if I could just get some answers on why I have horrible periods.

[nickle730]

Hey, Chepie, I'd be asking your GP for clarification of that comment!! Your tube does not 'move across' to collect another egg. At all. Your fallopian tube is connected to your ovary and it does not disconnect at any stage nor does it reconnect to your other ovary in the absence of a fallopian tube. Ever.

I'm sorry if I sound blunt, but... no.

[Elocin]

Hey, Chepie, I'd be asking your GP for clarification of that comment!! Your tube does not 'move across' to collect another egg. At all. Your fallopian tube is connected to your ovary and it does not disconnect at any stage nor does it reconnect to your other ovary in the absence of a fallopian tube. Ever.

I'm sorry if I sound blunt, but... no.

I'm with Nickle - your tube can't physically move from one side to the other.

When you ovulate from the ovary that has no tube, the egg is reabsorbed into the body.

[Mildez]

Hey, Chepie, I'd be asking your GP for clarification of that comment!! Your tube does not 'move across' to collect another egg. At all. Your fallopian tube is connected to your ovary and it does not disconnect at any stage nor does it reconnect to your other ovary in the absence of a fallopian tube. Ever.

I'm sorry if I sound blunt, but... no.

I disagree with this comment. Your ovary is not connected to your tube by rather the tube lays next to your ovary. The fimbria is at the end of the tube which is like hairy bits that sweep the egg into the tube when it is released from the ovary. It is possible for a lady with only one tube to pick up the egg from the opposite ovary although this is not common. In saying this many women who have had ectopic pregnancies that only have one tube have fallen pregnant when the tubeless side has produced the egg. This has been confirmed at an early ultrasound because the corpous luteum cyst that produced the egg is present on the ovary in which the egg came from. It is also possible for women to have only one ovary and only one tube but on opposite sides and still conceive naturally.

I myself have had an ectopic pregnancy and only have one tube. My Dr said my chances of conceiving following my tube removal were not halved because my tube is now gone but it was possible for the fimbria to sweep the egg from the opposite side towards it and it be fertilised that way so it would come from the left side but go down my right tube. Chepie is right.

[Mildez]

Kazzo if you have 2 ovaries then I agree with what your Dr said with not going through early menopause. If your one tube is healthy there should be no reason your fertility will be effected by only having the one. If your tube was damaged however this would be another story.

[Mildez]

Copied from the ectopic trust site.

How can an egg get down the only tube I have when it’s produced on the other side where I have no tube?Even when a tube has been removed it is usual to leave the ovaries alone.
When we ovulate, although the egg is most likely to travel down the nearest tube, there is some evidence to suggest this is not always the case. At the point of ovulation some very delicate structures called the fimbriae begin to move gently creating a slight vacuum to suck the egg toward the end of the tube it is nearest to. So, if you have only one tube then there is only one set of receptors working and one set of fimbriae creating a vacuum and so the egg is much more likely to find its way to that tube, whichever ovary it is produced from.

Conservative estimates suggest that an egg produced on the tubeless side manages to descend the remaining tube around 15 to 20% of the time.

This means that rather than your fertility being halved – your fertility is probably no different to what it was before your ectopic – assuming fertility is the ability to produce a fertilisable egg and or quality sperm. If you can do this before ectopic you can almost certainly do it after ectopic, so rather than a reduction of fertility, it is more the case that the opportunity to conceive has been affected but not by half – by around 30%. Or looking at it another way, it means we have around a 70% opportunity of conception with each cycle, so it’s not all bad news at all!

[Mildez]

Thanks Chepie.

I asked my Doctor and she said that as long as I still have both ovaries then I don't have to worry about early menopause. She said that I still release an egg from my right side but with no tube to guide it i just gets obsorbed into my body. So now I know that I feel better. Now if I could just get some answers on why I have horrible periods.

Sorry I have no advice on the horrible periods. Are you on the pill or another form of contraception?

[nickle730]

Noooo.... that completely amazes and confounds me! TBH... I'm still not convinced. This information defies all I was taught about human anatomy and female reproduction. It was my understanding that the fimbriae (lol... I haven't heard that word in years, I just thought of them as 'those little hairy things') create a constant vacuum between the tube and the ovary. I have never, ever heard of a woman falling pg from an egg released from an ovary without its own fallopian tube.

I'm off to research now! If my post was incorrect, I apologise. Seriously, I think the human body is amazing... but this would blow me away!

[Kazzo]

Thank you Mildez, that is some fantastic information. I am glad you came into my thread

I don't take any kind of contraception (medical) I always have reactions. I have always just followed my cycle and worked around it and it has worked for us for 11 years now.

Now though I have no idea. My last 3 periods have been extremely heavy flows for up to 12-14 days. The last one I had to take medication to stop the bleeding after been bleeding for 13 and showing signs of aneamia. The last tablet was Monday night and I have started bleeding again last night. I had an ultrasound yesterday but like I knew it came back all clear, story of my life, anytime I have a problem there never seems to be a reason.

So I don't know. Will go back to my doctors I guess and see what she says.

[Mildez]

Noooo.... that completely amazes and confounds me! TBH... I'm still not convinced. This information defies all I was taught about human anatomy and female reproduction. It was my understanding that the fimbriae (lol... I haven't heard that word in years, I just thought of them as 'those little hairy things') create a constant vacuum between the tube and the ovary. I have never, ever heard of a woman falling pg from an egg released from an ovary without its own fallopian tube.

I'm off to research now! If my post was incorrect, I apologise. Seriously, I think the human body is amazing... but this would blow me away!

Yeah it does sounds impossible doesn't it? I wouldn't have known except I am on another forum for ectopic pregnancy survivers and in the ttc forums we used to try comfort each other when we knew we were ovulating on the tubeless side that there was still a chance it would happen and then a few of the girls who did get pregnant said there baby came from the tubeless side according to the ultrasound. My bub however came from my tube side.

Kazzo I only asked about the contreception question as when I was on the pill years ago I bled for 7 out of 8weeks until I went of it. I tried a few different types and it kept happening. Funnily enough though as a teenager I was on the pill and it made my period very light so it can go either way. Both PCOS and endo can cause heavy bleeding. The scan you had could have very well ruled out PCO but you need a lap to diagnosed endometriosis. And thats not something you would want to have unnecessarily. It certainly could be an option however if your bleeding continues. Have you had a pap test recently?

[Bridget]

I agree with Mildez about the tube moving thing. Weird but wonderful. I have had 2 ectopics, neither in my tubes but one was abdominal. It was at that point I learned that your tubes are not actually attached to your ovaries. Sometimes neither tube picks up the egg (even though it is fertilized) and it floats off into your abdomen. In my case, it then implanted on the outside of my uterus. Suffice to say I wasn't very impressed at this discovery.

[spooky]

Hi there, After losing one tube due to an ectopic, I then later conceived from the same side - the 5wk scan showed this very clearly. So yes, it's true.