Fallopian tube
Latin: Tuba uterina sinistra
Location: Pelvis
Paired structure: one on the left and one on the right side of the body.
View the fallopian tube in 3DFunction
The fallopian tube is where life begins: a 10–12 cm channel whose fimbriae sweep the ovulated egg into the ampulla, where fertilisation typically occurs within hours of ovulation. Its ciliated epithelium and peristaltic smooth muscle then waft the embryo toward the uterus over a three-to-four day voyage.
Most ectopic pregnancies implant in the ampulla; those in the narrow isthmus or intramural (interstitial) segment rupture earlier and bleed more.
Blood supply
Tubal branches of the uterine and ovarian arteries in a dual arcade.
Nerve supply
Sympathetic T10–L1; ovarian and uterine plexuses.
Clinical relevance
- Ectopic pregnancy
- An embryo implanted in the tube cannot stretch it — pain with positive pregnancy test is rupture until proven otherwise.
- Tubal factor infertility
- Chlamydial scarring blocks the tube; IVF bypasses what surgery sometimes restores.
Related conditions
Educational anatomy reference, not medical advice. About this content.