can folic acid unblock fallopian tubes?
Folic acid has become more or less a fertility wonder drug given to women and men alike trying to conceive. It boosts ovulation, promote release of healthy eggs, libido and regulates menstruation in women. In men, folic acid promotes spermatogenesis and heathy sperm.
Now the question whether folic acid can unblock blocked fallopian tubes.
To answer this question, it is important to know the meaning of blocked tubes and what cause it.
Anatomy and Physiology of Fallopian Tubes:
The fallopian tube is a part of the female reproductive system that plays an important part in conception. The ovum from the ovaries of a female is picked up by the fimbriae of the fallopian tube. The fallopian tube is the place where the sperm and egg meet and fertilization takes place. It is a muscular tube which is lined by ciliated epithelial cells.
The cilia is a hair-like structure present that helps in moving the embryo down to the uterus after 3 days of fertilization and helps the sperm to travel up from the uterus. Infection like PID and conditions like endometriosis damages the lining of the fallopian tubes causing scarring.
Causes of blockage:
The fallopian tube can be blocked by the scar tissue produced due to injury or damage to any part of the tube. The blocked fallopian tube is one of the possible reasons for infertility. Blockage of the fallopian tube is known as tubal blockage. There are no direct symptoms of tubal blockage but women with blocked tubes may experience
irregular periods,
chronic pelvic pain,
pain during sex,
Abdominal pains.
The common causes of tubal blockage are pelvic inflammatory disease caused by Chlamydia and Gonoccocus, ruptured appendicitis, endometriosis, hydrosalpinx, tumours,previous ectopic pregnancy etc.
Women with suspected tubal blockage are required to to a test called HSG. A form of constrast X-ray
Treatment of tubal blockage:
Fallopian tube cannulation can be done by HSG to remove the block.
It can also be done by hysteroscopic cannulation that is removing a block through a guidewire passing the tubes through the vagina via a hysteroscope.
Hydrotubation can also be employed to remove the blockage.
But tubal blockage cannot be removed always. If the tubes are damaged very badly, it is better to do In Vitro Fertilization.
In IVF the egg and sperm are joined. So fertilization happens in the laboratory instead of the fallopian tube.
Now to the main topic:
Can folic acid unblock fallopian tubes?
No. Even though folic acid is recommended for women trying to conceive, it cannot be used to unblocked scared fallopian tubes….Folic acid 100 percent plays no role in unblocking tubes. So if you are a woman with tubal infertility with diagnosed tubal blockage, taking only folic acid will fail you…if you refuse to get rid of the tubal blockage surgically or through ivf. Folic acid does not unblock tubes.It cannot remove the mechanical blockage.
