Ectopic Pregnancy
What is it?
An ectopic pregnancy is when the fertilized egg implants outside of the uterus. It can implant anywhere in the woman’s body but usually it implants in the fallopian tube. That’s why you hear the term tubal pregnancy. The pregnancy usually starts out the same as a normal one, even producing regular pregnancy symptoms like tender breasts and nausea. Most often an ectopic pregnancy is recognized before a woman misses her period.
Causes and Risk Factors
It is not perfectly clear why ectopic pregnancies happen although the following are certain situations that increase the likelihood of having one:
- Having an IUD
- pelvic inflammatory disease
- having had surgery to the fallopian tubes
- getting pregnant through IVF
- sexually transmitted diseases increase your chance of ectopic pregnancies
- women older than 35 are more at risk
- having had a previous ectopic pregnancy increases the chance of another one by 15%
Symptoms
- A positive pregnancy test
- Vaginal Bleeding
- Abdominal pain and/or cramps
- shoulder pain
The symptoms are different for each woman. It is sometimes difficult for doctors to tell if a woman is having a miscarriage or she has an ectopic pregnancy because an ultrasound will only show enough around 6 weeks pregnant. Many times a woman doesn’t have any symptoms and isn’t aware there is a problem until the symptoms get severe. When shoulder pain is felt, that usually means the tube has ruptured. This is an emergency situation and must be treated immediately at a hospital. Dizziness and faintness may also occur if the tube ruptures.
Diagnosis and Treatment
The diagnosis can be made through a combination of blood tests, pelvic exam and ultrasound. Sometimes the doctor can feel a swollen area upon performing an exam. This may indicate a possible ectopic pregnancy. They will do a blood test to determine the levels of HCG (the pregnancy hormone) in your blood. If it is not as high as it should be for how many weeks pregnant you are, ectopic pregnancy may be suspected. Most times an ectopic pregnancy is treated by surgery to remove it. On occasion a doctor might prescribe a drug called methotrexate to treat it instead of surgery. This is only done if the pregnancy hasn’t progressed that far yet.
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