Fallopian Tube Removal and Pregnancy: What to Know

A salpingectomy is surgery to remove a fallopian tube. Your ovaries can usually continue releasing eggs, and your uterus can still support a pregnancy. If one tube remains healthy, an egg released from either ovary may sometimes reach the remaining tube, so pregnancy without fertility treatment may still be possible.

When both tubes have been removed, sperm and an egg cannot meet through the usual route. In vitro fertilisation may offer a route to pregnancy because an egg is fertilised outside the body and an embryo is placed in the uterus. Tube removal does not itself remove the ovaries, so it is different from surgery that stops egg production.

The reason for surgery can affect future planning. After surgery for an ectopic pregnancy, the remaining tube may need assessment, and a future pregnancy should be checked early. Read more about [Salpingectomy](/treatments/gynaecological-surgery/salpingectomy/) and [Ectopic Pregnancy](/conditions/ectopic-pregnancy/).

Ask your surgeon when healing is far enough along for sex and pregnancy attempts; the answer depends on the operation and your recovery. Keep the operative report if you have it, because it can confirm whether one tube or both were removed and whether the remaining tube looked healthy.

Arrange a preconception visit if you have concerns about the remaining tube, previous ectopic pregnancy, pelvic infection, endometriosis, or difficulty conceiving. Your clinician may review your cycle, ovarian function, semen factors, and the condition of the uterus and remaining tube before discussing timed attempts, tubal testing, or IVF.

Once pregnant, contact your maternity team promptly to discuss early confirmation of the pregnancy location. An ultrasound and pregnancy-hormone follow-up may be used when clinically appropriate.

If you might be pregnant and develop one-sided or severe lower-abdominal pain, vaginal bleeding, shoulder-tip pain, dizziness, fainting, or marked weakness, seek urgent medical care. These symptoms can occur with an ectopic pregnancy or internal bleeding and need prompt assessment, even if a pregnancy test is faint or you have not yet had a positive test.

After surgery, worsening pain, fever, increasing redness or discharge from an incision, heavy bleeding, chest pain, or trouble breathing also warrants urgent medical advice. Use the emergency service for collapse, severe pain, or difficulty breathing.

You could ask: Was one tube removed or were both removed? How did the remaining tube and ovaries look? When is it safe to try for pregnancy? Should I have an early scan in a future pregnancy? When would you recommend fertility testing or IVF? Which symptoms should send me to emergency care?

If minimally invasive surgery was used, you can also ask what the approach means for recovery. Learn about the [Laparoscopic Surgery System](/technology/laparoscopic-surgery-system/).