What are the symptoms of fallopian tube blockage?

Patient's question:

Detailed medical condition and consultation purpose: Had intercourse during ovulation but did not get pregnant, unsure if there are any issues with the fallopian tubes. I want to ask what symptoms would occur if the fallopian tubes are blocked? Where would it cause discomfort? I would like to learn more.

Doctor's answer:

Symptoms of Fallopian Tube Blockage
The fallopian tubes not only serve as a channel connecting the ovaries and uterus but also provide a site for ovulation, egg storage, sperm transport, and fertilization. They function to transport the fertilized egg to the uterine cavity for timely implantation in the endometrium. Due to certain reasons, if the fallopian tubes become blocked or obstructed, the function of transporting eggs is impaired, affecting the combination of eggs and sperm, leading to infertility known as tubal obstructive infertility.
Clinically, it is estimated that about 50% of women seeking medical treatment for infertility have tubal obstructive cases. The causes of fallopian tube blockage are numerous, but the most common ones include endometriosis of the fallopian tube, tubal inflammation, and tubal dysfunction. Western medical treatments include tubal patency testing, tubal hydrotubation, and surgical correction of the fallopian tubes. These methods have certain efficacy but also significant limitations.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has long been mentioned in the Qianjin Fang Yan Yi as saying, "Women who remain infertile for many years after marriage are often due to blockages in the reproductive organs caused by stagnation of Qi and blood. Treatment requires the use of strong blood-activating herbs to achieve effectiveness." Based on this, TCM primarily employs methods such as invigorating blood circulation to remove stagnation and softening hard masses to treat this condition. TCM believes that the formation of abdominal masses is often due to empty meridians, external stagnation, or internal injury from emotional distress, leading to chaotic Qi and blood flow, or from consuming cold foods, disrupting the ascending and descending of Qi, impairing its smooth circulation, causing blood stagnation and blocking the meridians, or the formation of accumulations without form. Therefore, the pathogenesis of tubal obstructive infertility is primarily Qi stagnation and blood stasis. Its clinical manifestations often include depression, breast tenderness before menstruation, lower abdominal pain during menstruation, menstrual clots, lower back and lumbar soreness, and are predominantly (manifestations of excess).
Fallopian tube blockage or impaired patency is a major cause of female infertility, and its disease