Adhesions Symptoms and Treatment
Medically reviewed by Leyla Bilali, RN
Adhesions are abnormal bands of scar tissue that join together organs or parts of organs that are not normally joined together. They can be caused by infection, some diseases, or previous surgery. Adhesions may cause infertility by preventing the egg and sperm from meeting (1), interfering with ovulation or making the uterus inhospitable to a fertilized embryo (2). Adhesions are one possible cause of blocked fallopian tubes. Endometriosis and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) can cause adhesions that interfere with your ability to get pregnant. Asherman’s syndrome, or uterine synechiae, are when adhesions form inside the uterus. It may cause infertility or recurrent miscarriage(3).
1, Harvard Medical School. Conditions that affect fertility. 2009.
2. Rebar RW. Problems With the Fallopian Tubes and Abnormalities in the Pelvis. Merck Manual Consumer Version. Updated February 2019.
3. Pasternak M, Pfender S, Santhanam B, Schuh M. The BTG4 and CAF1 complex prevents the spontaneous activation of eggs by deadenylating maternal mRNAs. Open Biol. 2016;6(9). doi:10.1098/rsob.160184