Developments in Brief : Ruptured Appendix May Cause Infertility

Early diagnosis and treatment of appendicitis could decrease the number of women who become infertile because the condition can sometimes damage the Fallopian tubes, researchers say.

A new study found that women who had ruptured appendixes had up to a five times greater risk of suffering from tubal infertility, in which a woman’s Fallopian tubes are damaged.

About 2% of American women of reproductive age suffer from tubal infertility, according to Dr. Beth Mueller of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, who conducted the study.

The study, which involved 279 women with tubal infertility and 957 fertile women, found no increased risk for tubal infertility among women who had undergone appendectomies without the appendix rupturing.

However, the strong association was found among women who underwent appendectomies after their appendixes had ruptured, indicating that the rupture can damage the Fallopian tubes.

“It means a lot of women wouldn’t suffer from infertility if this could be prevented,” said Mueller, who reported her findings in the current New England Journal of Medicine.