Hi. I have been reading about the chances of the tube get the egg from the other side.
I am ovulating on my right side this month, but I just have my left tube ( I had an ectopic last december )
My doctor said it’s impossible to get pregnant when I am ovulating on the right side, but why on internet says it is possible?
The doctor in the hospital said it is possible, so I dont know in who to believe.
Thanks for the espace , this site helps me a lot going trough it all .
Dear Vlaah,
I am so sorry to hear of your ectopic pregnancy and loss,
Generally, when a person has only one fallopian tube and both ovaries, they are still able to get pregnant from an egg at the opposite ovary as an egg from one ovary can travel down the tube on the other side. The fallopian tubes are not attached to the ovaries and, 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 (like lots of little fingers waving and drawing the egg towards it). 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. We have had posts from ladies who have become successfully pregnant and the early scan shows they ovulated from the opposite side.
We also naturally assume that we will ovulate from alternative ovaries each month (left ovary, right ovary, left, right etc.) This is not true and varies from woman to woman. Some women will ovulate from the same side each month with an occasional ovulation from the other side, while others will ovulate randomly from side to side.
Both ovaries compete each month to produce an egg and usually the one that is ‘pulling ahead in the race’ continues while the other one gives up (but not always – sometimes women will ovulate of both ovaries in one cycle or twice from one ovary but these are rare events that explain how we get non-identical twins naturally). It depends on which ovary contains the egg that is at the right stage of development at the point in time where the woman is due to ovulate and is nothing to do with a set pattern.
The side we ovulate from does not strictly matter as, as earlier mentioned, an egg from one ovary can travel down the tube on the other side.
While generally it is possible to conceive after an ectopic pregnancy, the amount of time it takes varies from couple to couple. Factors include age, general health, reproductive health and how often you have sex, among other things. It may be comforting to know that 65% of women are successfully pregnant within 18 months of experiencing an ectopic pregnancy and some studies suggest this rises to around 85% after two years.
Sending much love,
Karen x
The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust
Registered Charity Number: 1071811
Ectopic pregnancy patient information suite: Highly Commended in the 2019 BMA Patient Information Awards
During the coronavirus outbreak, The EPT team is still working hard to provide crucial information and support to women and families experiencing ectopic pregnancy as quickly and efficiently as we can.
If we have been able to help you, are you able to help us with a small donation or by volunteering or fundraising?
Further information is available at ectopic.org.uk
Email us: ept@ectopic.org.uk
We provide a call-back helpline service: 020 7733 2653
Take a look at our newsletters and subscribe to our mailing list here: https://mailchi.mp/986bdd6091ee/ectopic-matters
Detailed medical information can be found on our website. Please remember online medical information is NO SUBSTITUTE for expert medical advice from your own health care team
Thank you Karen.
Your post helped with a lot of doubt I had.