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Last Updated:
Sep 10th, 2007 - 18:59:21
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Question
After having a tubal ligation, What happens to the egg that travel through the fallopian tube every month? And if by any chance it gets fertilized as an ectopic pregnancy can it be moved to the uterus or does it have to be removed and destroyed? What is the diameter of tubes that are Ligated?
Jackie
Answer
Dear Jackie,
The egg is still released even after a woman has had a tubal ligation, there is no place for it to go. It disintegrates in the tube, or in some cases in the space surrounding the tube and uterus (peritoneal cavity). If an egg does manage to get fertilized, it will very likely implant in an abnormal place ("ectopic"). Unfortunately, technology does not exist to move the child to the safe haven of his mother's uterus. The child does need to be removed, but this should be done in a morally acceptable manner. (This is topic for a different question, but in essence, the principle of "cause and double effect" is employed to justify removing the damaged tube, even though the child is resident inside it. A direct attack on the child by chemical or direct surgical removal of the child is not morally acceptable.) The internal diameter of the tube varies along its length from about 2 to 8 mm.
Dr. John Gisla
John Gisla, MD, NFPMC is Board Certified by the American Academy of Family Physicians,
and Certified as a Medical Consultant for Natural Family Planning and NaPro Technology
by the Pope Paul VI Institute. He is on staff at Mercy of Folson Hospital and on the NFP Advisory
Board for the Diocese of Sacramento. He has been married ten years and has two daughters and a son.
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