Fluid in tubes

[PeppyMiller]

Hiya,

Yesterday I had my first scan since starting stimms last week and the doctor found what looked like fluid in one of the tubes. She explained it could make implantation fail or cause an early miscarriage if it's there at the time of the embryo transfer, and that I might need an operation to sort it out at one point.

My brain went a bit blank, so I didn't ask any questions and she didn't elaborate either, other than telling me not to Google it! But as soon as I left the clinic I had so many questions - would they cancel this cycle, would the operation delay everything, where is that fluid coming from when last week everything looked fine?!

I have another scan on Friday, they will check if it's still there, if it's any bigger, etc., but of course I'm worrying a lot until then.

Has anyone had any experience with this? How did it affect your process?

[Millbanks]

Hi lovely,

I had this - it's called a hydrosalpinx. The fluid in the tubes can leak in to the uterus and is toxic so wouldn't be good to have while having a transfer / being pregnant.

I did a freeze all cycle, where we did the egg collection, fertilisation then froze 4 embryos. I then had surgery to clip both tubes and then had 2 months recovery and did a frozen embryo transfer.

The chances are you've had this for a while, I don't think they suddenly come on - but they seem to be hard to detect via scan as I had the HSG dye test and they couldn't see it, but when I had my egg collection they did see one. They said there was a possible other one but couldn't be sure until they started the surgery, so I had to sign a form to say they could clip both if they found a 2nd one. (I didn't have to sign this but the alternative was to wake me up from GA, check, then put me under again....)

They aren't dangerous in normal life - in fact I doubt you'd even know you had one. Just for IVF they are keen to make sure that there are no factors that could cause your treatment to fail.

xx

[PeppyMiller in reply to Millbanks]

Hi Millbanks,Thank you for your reply, that was so helpful! There's not much I can do at the moment so I just wanted a better understanding of what might happen next, I'm not dealing well with the unknown!

Hope everything went well for you x

[Millbanks in reply to PeppyMiller]

Ugh I get that - it's so hard not knowing.

I would expect that if you are already in the middle of stims, they would suggest to carry on to egg collection and freeze all. Then maybe do more investigation in to your tube situation and possibly surgery before doing a frozen transfer.

The benefit of this is that frozen transfers are often easier on the body, and are also much more controlled than a fresh transfer. You'll have time to get over the egg collection and get yourself in a good position for a frozen one.

We had a bit of a crazy journey but after 6 transfers we got our miracle boy xx

[DianeArnold Partner Nurse Fertility Network UK in reply to PeppyMiller]

Hi Peppy iller. So sorry to hear this, but excess lubrication in the tubes cannot leak out through the open end as ivy is blocked by a hydrosalpinx.excess can only drip into the womb, and it is widely believed that this fluid can prevent a developing embryo from implanting. The tube would need to e clipped pr removed prior to UVF. In some cases the blocked end can be unblocked to allow drainage. Lots to get your head round, but your specialist will want to give you your best chance. Thinking of you. Diane

[PeppyMiller in reply to DianeArnold]

Thanks again to both of you, not the news that I wanted but we all have our bumps on the road when we start treatment I guess. Hopefully I get a bit more information on my next appointment, but at least I go in with a better understanding of what's going on x

[Positive20]

I don’t know if this is different but in one of my treatments I developed fluid in my uterus…..told my transfer would have to be cancelled if the fluid hadn’t gone. In the end it had reduced but not gone completely. I made the decision to let the Dr prior to embryo transfer drain the fluid off (aspirate). The fluid was successfully drained and therefore the Dr was happy to transfer the embryo. Unfortunately the treatment wasn’t successful for me on that occasion xx

[ToffeeLou]

hello PeppyMiller I had this on a recent transfer. Doctor spotted the liquid on my day scan and recommended we cancel the cycle and do what’s called a laproscopy instead. This is when they look in your tubes to check for blockages, which like others have said can prevent implantation. They did find a hydrospynx (blockage) in my left tube so the removed the tube. The good news is my next transfer worked and I had a positive pregnancy test (the first after 3 failed transfers). Sadly the pregnancy hasn’t been succesful and the heartbeat has now stopped causing a miscarriage but atleast i now know I can get pregnant which I don’t think would have been possible had they not done the investigations. I know it’s a blow and delays are frustrating but if they find something or can rule something out that’s one step closer to getting the baby you want so much. Wishing you lots of luck xx

[Brumbrum]

this sounds like a hydrosalpinx. Mine was detected before I started ivf by a tubal dye test. The liquid in the tubes blocks them and eggs getting through it causes infertility. Unfortunately the liquid can leak and stop implantation or stop an embryo growing. I’d already had one tube removed so I surgery on the other. They tried to open the tube and couldn’t so they clipped it. I now have a nearly seven year old.

[Christianbaby]

Hydrosalpinx is a condition where the fallopian tubes are blocked and filled with fluid, impacting fertility. Many women may have it without realizing. Detecting hydrosalpinx early is crucial for fertility management. It's fortunate that it was identified, as now proactive steps can be taken to address it. Wishing you all the best. Hope it goes well for you. xx

[WillowPark]

Hi PeppyMiller, doesn't sound like quite the same thing but in November when I went for a FET scan they found fluid in my ovary. The nurses couldnt see it very well and were worried about hydrosalpinx but spoke to the consultant who said she thought it was a ruptured cyst. I had aches on that side that month and a severe pain a few days before the scan which supported that it might have been an ovarian cyst so they decided to go ahead. By transfer day the fluid was gone and they went ahead without issue. Just have to wait and see what they say next time. Keeping everything crossed for you.

[Crie1983]

Hello, I’m really sorry to hear this.

I went through 3 rounds of ivf, 2 failed and 1 ended in early miscarriage, before my hydrosalpinx was picked up, I’d had multiple scans and an MRI and nothing detected fluid in the tubes. It wasn’t until I had a laparoscopy that the gynaecologist found how severe the hydrosalpinx was and removed both tubes. The NICE guidelines also state that you should be offered tube removal before IVF if you have hydrosalpinx nice.org.uk/guidance/cg156/....

I totally get how frustrating and upsetting it is to find this out. I couldn’t help but feel so angry that my first clinic didn’t check or diagnose it earlier but I have heard from many that it’s very difficult to detect. I had my surgery done through my private medical insurance which thankfully meant the wait wasn’t long. The recovery for me was quick and I was able to proceed with another cycle shortly after the surgery.

Wishing you all the very best and will be thinking of you. X

[IgsAl17]

As others have said, fluid in the tube is often a hydrosalpinx. As with others, mine wasn’t picked up with HyCoSy due to both tubes being completely blocked. It’s only the month after when I got miraculously pregnant (but it was ectopic) that they went in to remove the tube and pregnancy and saw the other tube was filled with fluid. Annoyingly the surgeon didn’t remove it but instead said he would strongly advise it be removed prior to IVF as the fluid is toxic to any embryo. I was told the waiting list for the procedure on the NHS was 2 years. Therefore I went private, about £5000.

Started IVF injections six weeks to the day after my surgery and now 8 weeks pregnant on my first round!

Got all my fingers crossed for you! With advancements in frozen embryos I would definitely recommend you sort the tube prior to transfer. I read you only have an 8% success rate with a hydrosalpinx. Very lucky your clinic identified it at this stage! I always worry and say if I’d not had my ectopic that it could have gone for years undetected as only laparoscopy saw it.

[XXKKXX]

I was diagnosed with hydrosapinx ( fluid in tubes)) in my left tube. last october. Diagnosed via ultrasound scan in gynaecologist office. Was immediately put on list to have laparoscopy to have tube removed. Had a hsg dye test following month which is when they inject dye and my tubes came back clear. Consultant told me It might not have been a blocked tube after all. Its difficult for them to be certain via scan and said it could just be a cyst ect. I was already booked with fertility clinic and they scanned me there and said they culdn't see anything on scan anymore. So no further action was needed. I spent the whole next few months stressed thinking what if I had fluid inmy tube. I've read dye can flush it but it might come back and as we were due to have ivf it could cause failure. I started thinking do I have endo as that can cause it. I was really depressed. We tried most of the year up until october no success. I was convinced my tube was blocked again even tho scans were fine. Anyway started ivf in october and first round was a success. I'm currently 3 months pregnant. While yes sometimes the scans can flag a hydrophinx that's not always the case. My fluid filled tube is a mystery and it didn't hinder my implantation at all.

[User819020]

I was told I had hydrosalpinx in my right tube. I waited 9 months for surgery to have the tube removed . I had the operation in December and they said both my tubes were fine, no blockage. The doctor seemed so confident that I had hydrosalpinx at the scan.

[PeppyMiller]

Thanks again to everyone for sharing your experiences, hopefully on my next scan tomorrow they can come up with a solution without delaying the process too much!