You have a choice. This page explains the option in plain language - what it does, what it cannot do, and what it would mean for you. It does not recommend a decision. That conversation belongs to you and your healthcare team.
The ovaries store eggs and make hormones. The Fallopian tubes are the passageways between the ovaries and the uterus. After ovulation, an egg enters a Fallopian tube; fertilization usually happens there, and a fertilized egg then travels to the uterus. The tubes themselves do not make hormones.
Ovarian cancer is hard to find early, and there is no reliable screening test for it. Research has shown that most high-grade serous ovarian cancers - the most aggressive kind - actually begin in the Fallopian tubes. Removing both tubes takes away the place where these cancers usually start.
Accessing the abdomen is a major part of many surgeries. Removing the Fallopian tubes during an already planned abdominal or pelvic operation may therefore avoid a separate procedure, another round of anesthesia, and an additional recovery period. This is called an opportunistic salpingectomy: “opportunistic” means it is performed during another planned surgery, and “salpingectomy” means surgical removal of the Fallopian tubes.
How removing the Fallopian tubes prevents cancer
In the United States, the average lifetime risk of ovarian cancer is 1.1%. That means about 11 out of every 1,000 women develop it. Research estimates that removing both Fallopian tubes cuts the risk of the most aggressive ovarian cancers at least in half - from about 11 in 1,000 to about 5 in 1,000.
It does not remove all risk. A small number of these cancers start outside the Fallopian tubes, in the ovaries or the lining of the abdomen, so no operation can bring the risk to zero.
Lifetime ovarian cancer risk, out of 1,000 average-risk women
Your planned surgery stays the same. Near the end of it, the surgeon separates both Fallopian tubes from the ovaries and the uterus and removes them. This usually adds less than 15 minutes. There are no extra incisions in most cases, and recovery is the same as for your planned surgery alone.
One operation, one anesthesia
Any added surgical step can add possible risks: bleeding, infection, injury to nearby organs, or effects of more time under anesthesia. Studies that compared surgeries with and without Fallopian tube removal have not found a higher overall rate of complications when the tubes are removed. Your surgeon will not remove the tubes if doing so looks unsafe during your operation.
Studies have shown your Fallopian tubes being removed does not result in earlier menopause because the ovaries are left in place. However, more research is being done to confirm these findings. Your periods, hormone levels, and sexual function are not expected to change, because the ovaries - not the tubes - make hormones.
Understanding the permanent effect on future pregnancy can help you decide whether this option is right for you. After both Fallopian tubes are removed, an egg cannot reach the uterus, so pregnancy is no longer possible without in vitro fertilization (IVF). Removing both Fallopian tubes is a permanent form of contraception. Only choose this option if you are certain you do not want to become pregnant without IVF in the future. If you are unsure, you can say no or wait.
Sometimes scar tissue, endometriosis, or limited visibility makes removal unsafe. In that case the surgeon completes your planned operation and leaves one or both Fallopian tubes in place. Your surgical team will tell you afterward what was possible.
A strong family history, or a known inherited variant such as BRCA1 or BRCA2, can mean a much higher risk of ovarian cancer - and different, more protective options. This page and the decision aid are not designed for that situation. Ask a trusted healthcare professional, such as your surgeon, your OB-GYN, or your primary care provider, whether genetic counseling or a referral to gynecologic oncology is right for you.
No. This option is always voluntary, and saying no changes nothing about the surgery you already have planned. If you want help thinking it through, the decision aid walks you through the facts and your own values, and creates a summary you can bring to your healthcare team. Your answers stay on your device.
Sources and review
The wording on this page follows the Michigan patient decision aid, adapted from the British Columbia Fallopian Tube Removal Decision Aid. The studies behind each number are listed on the evidence page. Formal clinical review details will be published before program launch.
See the evidence and sourcesNeither column is a recommendation. They are the same facts, sorted by choice.
Having both Fallopian tubes removed
Keeping your Fallopian tubes
Availability and local practice differ. The Michigan rollout is phased, starting with appendix and colorectal surgery.
The first phase of the Michigan program focuses here, for women age 50 and older.
Fallopian tube removal is often considered when the uterus is removed for a noncancerous condition.
Removing both Fallopian tubes is one permanent contraception option and also lowers ovarian cancer risk.
Fallopian tube removal may be discussed when permanent contraception is desired after delivery.
The option may come up whenever the abdomen or pelvis is already being operated on. Gallbladder surgery is not part of the first Michigan phase.
The web decision aid and the evidence library are available now. More is being reviewed.
Review the option, record what matters to you, and download a discussion summary.
The studies behind every number on this site, summarized without jargon.
Fact sheets, videos, and guidelines from the national initiative MI-MAGIC partners with.
The print-ready version is in final design and accessibility review.
Short educational videos and an Ask the Surgeon series are planned.
Spanish and additional Michigan-relevant languages will be added after review.
