Synonyms
Tuba uterina, Salpinx English: oviduct, tubeThe fallopian tube belongs to the female sexual organs and is arranged in pairs. A fallopian tube is about 10 to 15 cm long on average. It can be imagined as a tube that connects the ovary to the uterus and thus enables a mature egg cell, which can be fertilized along the fallopian tube, to be transported safely.
The fallopian tube begins at the ovary with a funnel, which then expands into an ampoule (Ampulla tubae uterinae). The ampulla has the largest diameter of the fallopian tube and makes up about 2/3 of its total length. In this area the mucous membrane of the fallopian tube is heavily folded.
Then the inner diameter narrows at a distance of about 2 to 3 cm, just before the fallopian tube opens into the uterus. This area is called the “isthmus”, the opening area here is only 2 mm. The part that follows is the shortest of the fallopian tubes and runs along the wall of the uterus, where the fallopian tube finally enters.
Together with the ovary, the fallopian tube is often referred to as an “adnex”. There are three different wall layers in the fallopian tube: On the very outside is the tunica serosa. It is a layer of connective tissue that acts as a suspension ligament connecting the fallopian tube to the broad ligament (the uterus) so that it does not lie “loose” in the body.
Further inside is the tunica muscularis, the muscle layer of the fallopian tube. This consists of an outer longitudinal muscle layer and an inner circular muscle layer of smooth muscle cells, which ensure that the fallopian tube is capable of undulating movement, which serves to transport the egg further. On the very inside is the tunica mucosa (endosalpinx), the mucous membrane.
Here you will find longitudinal folds that are more pronounced the further away from the uterus. The mucosa contains the cells that are very important for the correct functioning of the fallopian tube. Firstly, it contains epithelial cells that carry cilia (ciliated epithelium), i.e. structures that look like small hairs.
These cilia beat from the ovary towards the uterus, thus helping to ensure that the egg is passed on in the right direction. There are also cells that secrete a certain amount of neutral to acidic secretion. These cells adjust their activity according to the part of the cycle the woman is currently in and whether or not she is pregnant.
Every month, several eggs mature in the woman’s ovary. Usually, however, only one egg cell completes this maturation process completely (this final stage is called the Graafian follicle). One end of the fallopian tube is practically above the ovary.
This end is a funnel (infundibulum) with “fringes” (fimbriae) of one to two cm in length. Some of these fimbriae are directly connected to the ovary. Just before an egg “jumps”, rhythmic movements can be detected on the fimbriae, which helps the funnel of the fallopian tube to slip over the ovary in the right place to receive the jumping egg.
Once this process has taken place, the contractions of the muscular layer and the ciliated cells of the mucous membrane ensure that the egg is transported through the fallopian tube to the uterus. This migration through the fallopian tube normally takes about 3 to 5 days. If no fertilization takes place during this time, the egg finally reaches the uterus and is eventually excreted by the body.
However, if a sperm cell reaches the egg in the 6 to 12 hours in which it is fertile, fertilization takes place. This usually happens in the area of the ampoule. This means that the egg begins to divide in the fallopian tube.
In most cases, it has reached either the 12-cell or 16-cell stage before it finally settles in the lining of the uterus where it continues to mature. Around the age of 40, natural remodelling processes of the fallopian tube wall begin, which are completed when menopause is reached, i.e. when the woman no longer ovulates or menstruates and therefore cannot become pregnant. They are therefore without any disease value, as the body simply adjusts to the fact that it no longer needs to carry a pregnancy. The ciliated epithelium loses height and the cells secrete less secretion.